True Love
by ThePrettyLittleShipper
Summary: Sam and Dean investigate the murder of a woman killed by her supposedly loving boyfriend. Love makes people do crazy things. Sam wants Dean to be happy. Dean isn't sure he's capable of that after years of dodging his feelings for a certain angel with whom he shares a profound bond. Team free will must protect bystanders as an ominous force corrupts people's emotions.
1. A certain blue eyed angel

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hi, and thanks for clicking on this story! This is based off a prompt from the lovely and very talented writer ThePoisonedOne. The prompt was for Cass to slip Dean a love potion :) I hope you enjoy this story. Reviews make my day!  
**WARNING:** While this story could really be set in any season, there might be spoilers for up to season seven. Also, this is rated Teen because of some slightly sexual content, and violence. It won't get any more inappropriate or violent than the actual show.

**True Love**

**Chapter 1: A Certain Blue Eyed Angel**

**(Sam's Perspective) **

The brothers examined the bloody corpse before them. Both were silent as they took in the horrible, ripped open body. She had once been beautiful, that much was obvious. Her face was pale, and her hair was blonde. She reminded Sam a little of a porcelain doll, something he had always found to be vaguely sinister. The Winchesters were used to seeing dead bodies, but that didn't make it less awful. Sam still remembered being a little boy, and being freaked out by things like this, and clinging onto Dean's arm at the sight of a cadaver. Poor Dean had never had someone like that to protect him when they were little. John Winchester was a kind man, a good man, a brave man, but he was never to Dean what Dean was to Sam. Dean was a guardian, a protector, now more than ever after all they had been through.

"So, what are we thinking?" he asked, glancing down at his big brother who was physically so much smaller than him. Sam considered the possibilities in his head, running a hand through his long, auburn hair. To be honest, he was stumped.

Sam missed the third member of their little group, the angel on their shoulders who would be able to tell them all about this woman's medical history and eating habits and everything else with just a touch, or a sniff. Maybe Dean had never had anyone who cared for him and protected him when they were little, but he sure did now. Maybe that was part of the reason Sam wished Castiel were there. Sam liked the spark that appeared in his brother's eyes when the angel was near. Of course it wasn't like Cass always came running when they called. Well, he usually did when it was Dean calling but, sometimes the matters of Heaven and Hell had to come first.

"I don't know. Lola, I mean, uh, the coroner, said that this was done to her with a kitchen knife by her boyfriend. It might not be our kind of thing." Sam ignored his brother's allusion to having hit on the coroner, except to roll his eyes briefly. If it moved and breathed, Dean would hit on it. That was fine, except that Sam sometimes wished his big brother were more open to happiness, to a chance at a better life, to love rather than many a brief rendezvous. Yeah, Sam thought sarcastically, because that worked out so well for me.

"Dean, it was her boyfriend of three years. All of her friends say they thought she seemed really happy. I doubt he's the one who ganked this girl."

"Right, but it was still, you know, a knife." Dean was examining his ruffled sandy hair in the reflection of his phone screen, which he pulled from his pocket.  
"I still say this is worth checking out," Sam insisted. Dean nodded and dialed something on his phone. "Who are you calling?"

"The local prison," Dean answered. Sam raised his eyebrows. "That's where the boyfriend is being held in custody," the older Winchester explained. "I figure if we're going to check this out, we might as well go talk to this guy." Sam nodded at the logic, and waited as his big brother talked on the phone with the sheriff.

Dean explained that agents Steinhardt and Livgren would need to speak to the late Sarah Smith's boyfriend. Sam wondered how it was that no one ever recognized the familiarity of their aliases, but he supposed that after all the references were a little dated. Maybe he wouldn't even get them if it weren't for Dean.

"Well, let's go," Dean said, shutting the phone. They headed out of the coroner's office together, making their way through the parking lot to the black 1967 Chevy Impala. Dean patted the engine lovingly before hopping into the driver's side.

Sam hurried to get in, shivering. It was cold outside, and he wondered how his brother was not freezing in just his usual brown leather jacket. He himself was donning a heavy coat and gloves. Dean turned the key, and as the engine roared to life music started to blare. "She was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean, she was the best damn woman that I ever seen, knocking me out with those American thighs. You, shook me all night long."

"Dean, look," Sam tried to begin.

"What?" Dean yelled over the music. Sam gave his older brother a meaningful look. Dean sighed, and turned down the music a bit. "What?" he repeated.

"Dean, look, I think maybe we should call in some back up on this case," Sam said. He wasn't saying it very loud for a reason. He was a little nervous requesting back up on a case where only one person so far had died. Of course, the real reason he was doing it was more as an excuse to get his brother to spend some time around a certain blue eyed angel with messy black hair and a tan trench coat. He was pretty sure he knew what Dean's reaction would be, and he wasn't wrong. Dean snorted. I try to do something nice, Sam thought, and he makes fun of me.

Sam did his very best to be as subtle as possible so Dean wouldn't be embarrassed, and this was the way his big brother repaid him? Well it would be worth it if Dean was given an excuse to spend time with Castiel. To Sam, it seemed that Dean hardly ever gave himself a chance to do anything other than work, and therefore rarely spent time with his best friend. That was sad, because Cass seemed to be more important to the older Winchester than anyone except maybe himself, their father, or Bobby. Two of the three people on the list were dead. Maybe it was no wonder Dean was emotionally distant. Everyone he cared about went away. Sam just hoped Cass never did that.

"Are you going soft, Sammy?"

"No, I just think maybe some help would be nice, Dean."

"Who do you want to call?"

"I don't know, like, maybe, Cass," Sam tried to play off the suggestion as casual, and off the top of his head. He knew Dean would stop objecting once he heard his favorite angel's name, but only if he thought it was Sam's idea, and not his own.

"Yeah OK," Dean said. He looked so straight faced, like he was trying to hide something. Hell, this was Dean. He was always trying to hide something. If it involved emotion in any way shape or form, trying to get it out of Dean would be like trying to pull teeth, or call Cass when he was busy with angel business, which Sam sincerely hoped he wasn't right now.

Dean turned off the music and cleared his throat. Sam always felt as if he were invading on some private matter when Dean prayed to Castiel. There was something so powerful and intense between those two, something much different than the brotherly love between Sam and Dean, or the strong friendship Sam shared with Cass.

"Hey, Cass, you got your ears on?" Dean began. "So Sam and I are working a case, and we could really use all hands on deck. If you can, come meet us." Dean briefly explained their exact location, as he turned the corner and pulled into the parking lot of the local police office.

As they climbed out of the Impala there was a soft fluttering sound. Sam and Dean stopped in their tracks as Castiel appeared in front of them. He was inches away from Dean. Sam snorted as his big brother almost walked right into their angel friend.

"Hey Cass, come on man, how many times do we have to talk about this? Personal space," Dean complained.

"My apologies," Castiel said, backing away a bit. "You required my assistance?"

"Yeah," Dean said, seeming to recover himself. Sam noticed a pinkish tint in his brother's skin. What the hell? Dean averted his brother's eyes as he told Cass about the case.

Sam watched his big brother explain to their friend about the mysterious demise of the woman who had supposedly had the perfect boyfriend right up until he mutilated her with a kitchen knife. Dean was definitely stumbling over his words and struggling with basic sentences. What was going on with him?

"So basically, either we are dealing with some kind of monster that controls people, or true love just wasn't so true," Dean concluded. Castiel nodded slowly.

"Well, let us go and find out which," he said. They all headed towards the police station to face either a crazy psychopath, or the victim of some kind of supernatural horror.


	2. Like a teenage dream

**Chapter 2: Like a Teenage Dream**

**(Dean's Perspective)**

Dean hoped with all of his heart that Sam did not notice how awkward he was acting around their favorite trench coat wearing angel. If his little brother even suspected the mother of all weird dreams Dean had woken up from that morning, he would die of embarrassment. Of course, it wasn't a big deal. After all, everyone has the occasional uncomfortable sex dream about their best friend, right? Ok, fine, so they weren't so much "occasional" as "almost every night." When he first met Cass, the intensity between them had hit Dean like a punch in the chest. Now they were pretty close, besets friends actually, and his dreams were becoming more common. It was stupid, that's what it was. He was acting like some stupid little girl in a chick flick.

He remembered the angel's hands on him, everywhere, touching him in his dreams. He hoped he wasn't a sleep talker, because he was sure if he was he would have been yelling his friend's name. Then, Sam would definitely know, if he didn't already, about the less then platonic feelings Dean harbored for Castiel.

He must have been straddling his pillow the way he straddled Cass in the dream. Oh, he had held him so close, and it had been so wonderful. It was nice to feel so safe with someone. He did feel safe with Cass too. The angel had done everything for him, and he was eternally grateful even if he showed it by acting like a total dick most of the time. Dean knew it, but he couldn't seem to stop. Being all touchy feely just wasn't his thing, even if he knew that Cass deserved to know the truth. He deserved to know how Dean loved to stare into these gorgeous, deep, blue eyes. They were endless and timeless, and Dean felt like he could see in Cass', well, not his soul, but his celestial-whatever the hell he had instead of a soul. When he looked into those beautiful blue eyes, that perfect face framed with always messy and adorable black hair, he felt-

"Dean!" Dean was pulled away from his thought's by Sam's sharp voice. He shook his head, and looked up at his tall older brother, blinking his bright green eyes innocently. He tried to look sleepy, like maybe he had just been drowsing off instead of thinking about his stupid feelings which were almost definitely unrequited anyway.

"Sorry Sammy," Dean grumbled, rubbing his eyes as he shifted on the bed. Cass was standing beside Sam, staring right back at Dean as if he had been thinking the same kind of things as the hunter had. God how Dean loved locking eyes with the angel, and pretending that there was a possibility that Cass felt the same as he did. It was so stupid. They were good friends, that was all. Dean was just going to have to get over his dumb ass feelings. That was easier said then done. He had been trying for so damn long. Cass was still staring at Dean.

"Cass!" Sam snapped. The younger Winchester sighed, sitting down on the bed beside Dean.

"My apologies, Sam," Cass said.

"Listen guys, I know we don't have much to go on, but we have a little," Sam said. "We can all agree that the boyfriend was acting shady, right?"

"I don't know man," Dean yawned, realizing that he actually was kind of tired. "I mean, he sounded pretty in love to me. The way he described his girlfriend, it was like she was a goddess to him."

"Exactly, Dean," Sam said. "He described her like she meant everything to him, like she was his true love, right?" Dean nodded blankly. He exchanged a vaguely confused look with Cass, who shrugged. Sam groaned, and buried his face in his hands. "You guys, he couldn't even remember her hair color." He looked at them in exasperation. "Are you kidding me? Am I really the only one of us that noticed he talked about her beautiful BROWN hair?" Dean was having trouble focusing. He couldn't even remember the girl's hair color. "She had blonde hair, you guys! Come on, a girl is dead. Can your eye-sex wait a hot second?"

There was a shocked silence. What he hell? Maybe Dean hadn't been as discreet as he hoped. God damn it. Cass was looking at him with these stupid, wide, desperate eyes like he wanted Dean to explain what the hell Sam was talking about. Well, Dean didn't know either. Or, at least, that was how he was going to play it off.

"Excuse me?" he stood up now, no longer sleepy even though it was growing steadily darker out, and the had spent the day investigating. Damn, he hated research. Actually, he was always more tired after a day of boring ass research then a good hunt. He needed excitement. Research was so freaking boring. He needed to be awake, and moving during a hunt.

"Um, nothing..." Luckily, it looked like Sam was regretting saying anything. Maybe he would just drop it. Wouldn't that be convenient? Way too convenient for anything at would ever happen to Dean Winchester. Oh no, Sam had to change his mind. He had to grow a pair, and decide he did want to confront them after all. "Its just...What the hell is going on with you guys? This is getting ridiculous."

"What are you talking about, Sam?" Cass asked.  
"Don't screw around here, Cass," Sam said. "You're a celestial being. Shouldn't you be able to focus on more than one thing at once? I mean, does staring at Dean really take up all of your attention? When I came up with this plan, I thought that you guys were going to do this whole staring into each other's eyes thing, like, the normal amount. Look, this is just over the top!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Dean interrupted. "Plan? What the hell was your plan Sammy?"

"Uh..." Now it was Sam's turn to be uncomfortable. He mouthed wordlessly for a few minutes until Dean decided they were all acting like a bunch of teenage girls, and he was about done with this crap.

"Fine," he snapped. "Lets move on." He stomped over to the table where Sam had laid out a bunch of books and stuff. He began flipping through one of them, searching for anything to do with any kind of love spell, or potion, or whatever would change someone's feelings towards someone else.

"I agree," Cass said in his deep, gravelly voice that made Dean shift uncomfortably in his chair. Think about anything but that voice, he told himself. Or those, eyes, or that face, or...No! I need to think about freaking skin walkers, and leviathans, and rotting corpses, and damn it, anything disgusting, anything other then Cass. He crossed his legs, trying to be casual about it.

Of course, just as he was focusing on the disgusting thought of a werewolf, devouring someone, Cass had to sit down in the chair right next to him, and their legs pressed together. Sam sat down on the other end and started researching too. Son of a bitch this was going to be a long night. Also, they were going to have to talk about whatever Sam suspected and why sooner or later. Dean was hoping for later, but when the hell did he ever get what he was hoping for?


	3. I'll Wait for You

**Chapter 3: I'll Wait for You**

**(Castiel's Perspective) **

"Do we think this might be the work of a Cupid?" Castiel asked more to break the silence than anything. Cupids did not tend to cause harm or violence. Sam and Dean shook their heads.

The uncomfortable quiet overwhelmed the hotel room once more. Cass considered flashing away with a flap of his wings to escape. He decided against it when he considered Dean's probable reaction. The hunter was never happy when Castiel "flashed out" as Dean referred to Cass' tendency to disappear.

Dean wanted Cass to be more human. He was always annoyed when Castiel did something decidedly awkward, like hold an FBI license upside down, or sniff at a dead body during an investigation. Castiel wished he could be whoever it was that Dean wanted him to be. He wished he knew why Dean was acting strange. He was certain that Sam was wrong, and it had nothing to do with his presence.

He felt so uncomfortable in the silence that filled the room as the three men flipped through their books. Perhaps this was normal. Surely Sam and Dean often sat in silence as they researched the cases they investigated. He simply was not used to it. That had to be it.

Castle felt his leg press against Dean's, and he was all too aware of the unusual stiffness in his friend's muscles. Normally it was Cass who sat too rigidly, who forgot how to be human. Dean had been acting rather odd during this investigation, though. The normally bold and confident, even on occasion egotistical and narcissistic, hunter was stumbling over his words, and flushing deep red at random moments. Perhaps he was unwell.

Dean looked fine, except when his face burned and was filed with a red tint. Actually, he looked better than fine, in Castiel's opinion. Before he acquired his vessel, the often forgotten Jimmy Novak, Cass had never considered human appearances too much. He was pure energy. Human souls were pure energy. What did it matter what "meat suits" as Cass had heard demons refer to them, looked like? Now he found himself filled with wonder in the way that people, specifically Dean Winchester, appeared.

"Stop staring," Sam reminded the two of them, not for the first time. Cass forced himself to bury himself once more in the volume of text he was scouring. It was proving rather useless.

Sam must have noticed Dean's strange behavior too. Cass supposed that was why he was making them all research in awkward silence. The younger Winchester seemed to believe that Dean's fixation was with Castiel. That seemed doubtful. Cass didn't really have the impression that the hunter thought of him particularly often. Of course, Cass was always concerned about Dean. Ever sense he gripped the righteous man tight and raised him from perdition, he had felt a certain responsibility. Maybe that was the wrong word, though.

Cass had tried to explain it once before. He could still hear his own frustrated voice in his mind. "Dean and I do share a more profound bond." That was the best way he could describe how he felt about the hunter. They still weren't the right words. He was frustrated by how difficult he found it to comprehend humanity. He couldn't even describe how he felt about the person who meant more to him than anyone or anything in the universe. Cass felt his leg press closer to Dean's, and he waited to see if the hunter would notice. He probably would not, or if he did, it would be with annoyance.

"Hey, Cass, do you mind scooching over a bit?" So Cass was right. The hunter didn't like to be too close. Still, he had been polite, and that was definitely odd for Dean. Perhaps they truly should be worried. Cass glanced at Sam, but the younger Winchester was absorbed in the book he was studying. Castle didn't know how he did it. He was beginning to see why Dean always complained about this part of investigating. It was indeed rather dull.

Cass scooted over, and then immediately moved closer to lean over Dean in order to grab a different book to study. His arm brushed Dean, and he felt the familiar fire flare up inside of him as they touched. It was like flames lapping at his insides, burning him harshly to remind him that he was foolish, that he was an angel, and Dean was a man, and after all, Dean hardly cared that Cass existed. Still, when they touched, or sometimes even when their eyes met, he felt his grace catch fire.

Dean was beautiful. Maybe Cass felt that way because when he had first seen that wounded and shattered but brave soul in Hell, his first thoughts had been how beautiful it was. Perhaps that was why even Dean's body was fascinating to him, because the soul inside was profoundly beautiful even with its scars and burns, even with all the pain he had been through, or maybe even in part because of it. Dean's soul was so strong it could endure anything. Whenever he laid eyes on the hunter's sandy hair, and emerald green eyes he could feel Jimmy Novak's heart speeding up. Dean had the most subtle freckles sprinkled across his cheek's and nose, and his lips were so perfect. Castle's favorite was watching the hunter move, seeing his muscles flex. He understood that he was probably feeling some form of human desire of the flesh that did not belong to him, could never belong to him.

Cass remembered Dean saying once to him that he had rebelled against Heaven, and inequity was one of the perks. So Cass had gone to a brothel with him, had almost even engaged in sexual intercourse. It was a strange memory, trying to be human and have fun, but it was a good memory because Cass would never forget the smile on Dean's face as they were chased out by security. He still didn't understand what was so funny about his statement to the girl, that it wasn't her fault her father left, he simply hated his job at the post office. Dean had certainly found it amusing, though, so it was one of Cass' favorite memories. Still, he did not believe that he would ever be able to engage in anything as human as what he felt towards Dean, and not just because he was an angel. Dean didn't feel the same, Cass knew that.

"I um, I have to go and meet a person at the um, post office," Cass said. Sam and Dean both stared at him. Castiel hoped that Dean would understand that he was referring to that night at the brothel, and his foolish words to the girl.  
"Why the hell do you have to go to the post office?" Sam asked. "Cass, we're in the middle of researching a case."

"We told you man," Dean added. "If you want to roll with us, you have to play by the rules, and that includes research," Dean didn't sound too happy about that last part though. Cass met Dean's eyes.  
"Dean, I have to meet with um, someone's _father."_ He emphasized the last word. Dean's eyes widened with what Cass could only hope was understanding.

"Oh, OK, then, we'll uh, we'll see you _later,_" Dean said, meeting Castiel's eyes carefully. Cass nodded, and left. He could hear Sam questioning Dean as he hurried out the door to the hotel parking lot.

It was cold outside, Cass could feel that, even if it didn't effect him. The air blew his hair all around his face, and his trench coat billowed around him. He hoped that it was obvious that he was using this reference to a past event as a way for him and Dean to escape the harrowing hours of studying and research that the night seemed to hold for them. Dean had seemed to understand. Still, Castiel's people skills were a bit rusty, so maybe he was wrong. He stood in the parking lot, looking up at the pale stars in the darkened sky, waiting for Dean. How often had he waited for Dean?

"I'll just wait here then," he muttered to the empty parking lot. "That's all I'll do. I'll wait for him."

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone, and thank you to anyone who has read this far! So this story was supposed to be for any season, but I am kind of writing it with a season 8 mindset. Again, I love reviews, any input anyone has means a lot to me! Thank you to those who have followed/favorited/reviewed this story so far! I also wanted to do a quick shout out/thank you to ThePoisonedOne for giving me this prompt, and also reviewing the story, and helping me out! She is a great writer, so everyone should check out her page. Go follow her if you haven't already, you know you want to! Also, I went back and changed the chapter's so that perspectives are labeled to make it more clear, and I will be doing that from now on. Again, thank you all for reading, I will try to post every couple of days at least :) Oh, and two more things: 1) I am considering continuing this story for a while and making it a Valentine's day special when Valentine's day starts getting closer. I'm hoping (hint hint) that anyone reading this lets me know what they think about that idea in the reviews, and if I should do it or not. 2) Charlie is coming in the next chapter! I just thought I would do a little shameless self promotion there in the hopes that this motivates people to keep reading because of the infinite awesomeness of Charlie Bradbury.


	4. Cock Block

**Chapter 4: Cock Block**

**(Charlie's Perspective)**

With a blast of blood and guts, and a soft groan, the zombie's head exploded. Charlie turned her gun on the approaching mob of the undead. The sound of the shot when she killed the one coming at her had attracted more of them. Damn it. She was running out of ammo. She blasted the bullets she had left at the others, gritting her teeth. They were surrounding her. There was no way she was going to make it out alive. She sighed in exasperation as they closed in.

The zombies tore her avatar apart. She sighed, glaring at the screen on her computer. She was usually better at video games than this. She had never died so fast before. She hadn't even made it past level 24 this time. It was obvious she was too distracted to play right now. She clicked the little red X in the top corner of her computer, closing out the game, and opening up the internet.

The light in her stupid hotel room flickered, and she looked at it nervously. If this cheap crap hole lost power now, she would lose wi fi, and that meant she would lose the ability to research this case. This one was really bothering her. Why the hell would some guy who had supposedly been oh so in love with his girlfriend suddenly lose the ability to accurately describe her? Something was definitely weird about this case, and apparently she was wasn't the only one who thought so.

The boyfriend of the dead chick had been annoyed with her interrogation, saying that some FBI agents had already been by. So either the real FBI was concerned about this case, or maybe some other hunters also thought it seemed like something supernatural. Either way, she was just going to keep working this job like any other, and if whoever else was also working it interfered, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

Charlie gasped as the light in her room went off, leaving the soft glow of her computer as the only light. She watched the little notification that she was no longer connected to wi fi pop up, and buried her face in her palms briefly. Well, she could still figure this out. Research wasn't her only option? After all, when Hermione wasn't able to have access to a book, did she back away from snooping around in person? Hell no!

As the books progressed, Hermione became braver. She never backed down from danger. Well, Charlie sure as hell wasn't going to back down either. This sucked, she had been planning on digging up dirt on the dead chick and her boyfriend, but hey, maybe she still could. This wasn't that big of a town. Maybe if she just went out, she could ask around about them. Of course, if she asked around some bars, there was always the chance that she might run into some hot girls, and that would mean she at least hadn't wasted the night.

Charlie couldn't see well enough to do much with her appearance. She just slipped on a Torchwood T-shirt, and a leather jacket, pulling her bright red hair into a messy ponytail. When she got to her car, she blasted the heat, shivering. The little jacket was definitely not enough to keep her warm. She turned on the song "I'm Walking on Sunshine" and sang along as she cruised towards the nearest bar.

When she went inside, she sighed looking around. No one seemed to be alone, or even in a small group of friends. Everyone looked like they were on a date. What the hell? Since when was coming to a bar looking for tail not a normal thing? It seemed like everybody in the bar was paired up with someone, and no one was being subtle. It wasn't like, hand holding, or anything, either. People looked like they were about ready to start doing it on the table everywhere she looked. She noticed two guys with their backs to her were standing near the bar, ordering, and they at least weren't making out as they ordered drinks, even if they were standing with their sides pressed together like separating would be physically painful or something.

One of them had short sandy hair, and wore a brown leather jacket, the other one had messy black hair, and he had on a tan trench coat. The one with the sandy hair flung an arm around his friend's shoulder as they got their drinks, and turned to move towards a table. Oh, no way, Charlie thought, recognizing her friend. She had a pretty good idea who the other guy was too, even if she had never met him. She hurried towards them, grinning widely.

"Hey, Dean!" she called. Dean was saying something to his friend, laughing, and his friend was looking at him in a confused way, with wide, innocent blue eyes. The guy tilted his head a little to the side, and Dean chuckled, smiling as if the sight of his friend's bewilderment was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. What a freaking sap, Charlie thought, smirking. "Dean!"

"Charlie?" he looked up, and said something to his friend, who nodded. They hurried over to her. "Hey, Charlie, lets go get a table together!" Dean said. Charlie smiled. He was a good friend.  
"No, no!" she said hurriedly. "Its really good to see you Dean, and I assume were here investigating the same case, but we can talk later. I don't want to, uh, you know," she said. She knew Dean, and she was positive he would catch on that she was trying not to C-block him. Of course, he had V-blocked her that one time, when she had a chance with an actual freaking fairy. She was still a little bitter about that, but the look in Dean's eyes when he was looking at his friend was so touching, it almost made her forgive him. She could only assume this was Castiel, from what she had read in the Carver Edlund books.  
"I don't know what you're talking about Charlie, come on, if you've ordered already, lets go find a table," he looked so confused. "Oh, by the way," he added, nodding towards the guy on his arm. "This is Castiel." Charlie mouthed wordlessly, trying to think of what she could say.  
"I uh, wow, the angel, huh?" she said. She felt a little star struck after everything she had read about Castiel. The guy had been God for a little while for Christ's sake. "Its an honor to meet you, I feel like I know you already from reading Chuck's books. I'm Charlie, by the way," she held out her hand to him. He just tilted his head, looking utterly confused. Dean snorted.

"If you feel like you know him, you shouldn't be that surprised by this," Dean said. He turned his head towards Cass, and whispered conspiratorially into the angel's ear. "Cass, when somebody holds their hand out, you shake it, dumb ass." Cass looked a little embarrassed, and Charlie felt bad.

He gave her an apologetic look, shaking her hand. She smiled, trying to look as kind as possible. He looked like he was scared out his mind. She remembered from the books that he wasn't so great with people.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "Have fun you two, we'll talk about the case tomorrow." She winked at Dean, and tried to head away. In an instant, Dean was in front of her. She gasped a little, but maybe she shouldn't be surprised. He was a hunter. He could go from being relaxed with an arm around Cass to in her face looking dead serious so fast it was scary. She wished he didn't have to be able to do that. Dean was a good guy. He deserved to go on a date with the angel who had rescued him from Hell without worrying about her, which was obviously what was happening. Dean was concerned about her, and the fact that she was hunting. She had been hoping he would take it in stride, but it didn't look like that was happening.

"You keep talking about a case, Charlie," he said. "You aren't," he gulped. "God damn it, Charlie, tell me you are not hunting." People were starting to look at them funny, as they were standing in the middle of the restaurant.

"Dean, we'll talk about it later, just have fun with Cass," she said. She leaned in to whisper to him. "Dude, I'm trying not to get in the way of your date here, I don't want to C-block you bro. You're making it kinda hard, though, no pun intended."

"You're WHAT?" Dean's voice was way too loud. People were totally staring now. Charlie backed away from him a bit. Cass was just watching them with those wide, nervous, eyes of his.

"Dean," she said in a high voice. "People are starting to stare. Fine, I'll sit down with you, Jesus Christ." He nodded, and they all made their way to a booth in the corner. A few people shot them dirty glances, but mostly everyone had returned to making out. Charlie felt really guilty for getting Dean and Cass' attention. If it weren't for her, they'd probably be having as much fun as everyone else.

"So first of all," Dean said, sitting next to Cass on one side of the table while Charlie scooted into the other side. "Cass and I are not an item, Charlie. You were probably reading fan fiction when you thought you were reading Chuck's books."

"No, Dean," she said. "And anyway, how the hell do you know about Supernatural fan fiction?"

"I uh, I...OK, second of all," Dean continued, turning a deep shade of pink. "Please tell me you are not a hunter now, Charlie." The embarrassment and awkwardness was gone. He looked her in the eyes, and his bright green gaze begged her to lie to him. Well screw that. It was nice that he was protective and all, but she could take care of herself.

"Dean, I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions."  
"You don't want this life."

"I don't think anyone does, Dean, but I can't just sit back and do nothing knowing what's out there."

"Damn it," Dean said too loudly, slamming his fist against the table. He looked as if he had somehow just personally failed, like it was all his fault that she was now saving people and hunting things, just like him and Sam. She placed a hand over his fist, which was gripped tightly, trying to get him to look at her.  
"Here's your drinks gentlemen, and is there anything else I can get for you?" said a nasally voice. The three of them looked up to see a waitress with dark hair up in a bun looking down at them. She popped a bubble with her gum, and the snap reverberated off the walls of the restaurant. Charlie remembered that she hadn't ordered as Dean and Cass took their bottles of beer.

"I'll have what they're having," she said. The gum smacking waitress nodded, and walked away. There was an awkward silence.  
Dean was gazing out the window even though it was too dark to see anything but his own harried reflection.

He looked like he was about to cry. Charlie felt horrible for ruining his night. She sighed, trying to think of something to say. Castiel suddenly turned towards her, and spoke for the first time. He had a deep gruff voice that didn't match the nervous look on his face.

"What did you mean when you said that you did not want to C-block Dean?" Charlie remembered that angels had like, super sonic hearing or something. So apparently whispering was a mute point around him. "What is the C?" Charlie stifled a laugh, getting ready to explain.

"Its nothing, Cass, nothing you need to worry about," Dean said so fast that both Charlie and Cass raised their eyebrows.  
"OK..." Charlie muttered. "Moving on, what do we know about this case?"

"If we're going to talk about the case, we might as well get back to our hotel and talk with Sammy. We snuck out of there to get out of research, and he's probably wondering where we are."  
"How did you manage to sneak out?" Charlie asked.  
"Oh it was awesome, really," Dean said, smiling at Cass like he was proud or something. "Cass made a reference to this inside joke we have, and I got it, so I told Sam I had to got to the bathroom a few minutes later, and snuck out."

"If you were in a hotel room, didn't Sam notice that you left instead of going to the bathroom?"  
"Yeah, he asked why I was going outside. I just told him I was going number one, so it would be OK to go outside" Charlie snorted.

"Wow Dean," she said."Nice cover, it makes perfect sense." Dean rolled his eyes.  
"Dean is not telling the story correctly," Cass said, suddenly. Dean was still chortling a little.  
"Oh I'm sorry, man," he said. "It was your idea Cass, why don't you tell the story."  
"I did not make an inside joke. It had nothing to do with being indoors, in fact I was trying to go outdoors in order to escape the dullness of research. I simply made a reference to an amusing past experience that Dean and I share." Dean and Charlie both burst into laughter. Cass just looked at them, not even cracking a smile.  
"Sam is going to be worried about you Dean," Charlie teased. "Its not natural to take this long just to go number one..." Dean batted her playfully on the side of the head as they got up to leave.

As Dean bought his and Cass' drinks, Charlie paid for her beer, and took it to go. Not an item my ass, she thought. Dean just paid for both of their drinks. That was so totally a date, and she was going to get Dean to admit it. He couldn't escape the part of life that involved those pesky things known as emotions forever.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **

Hello and thanks for reading! As promised: Charlie Bradbury XD I really hope I did her character some justice. I'm considering including some Charlie/Gilda in this story. Please let me know what you think of that idea in a review! Don't forget to follow ThePoisonedOne. She is the one who gave me the prompt that sparked this story, and she is an awesome writer.


	5. Sex and Violence

**Author's Note: **Hi, thank you for reading! Oh my gosh you guys (and girls, and really whoever is reading this) Supernatural comes back tonight! I'll keep this author's note as brief as possible. Remember that thing that I put in my note in chapter one about this not being more inappropriate than the show? I changed my mind. I don't really mean this chapter. I've actually written the next couple, which means that they'll be up every night for at least the next few days :) By the way, I realize that the name of this chapter is also the name of an actual episode, and I just wanted to note that this story really isn't related to that episode, I just thought that it was a fitting chapter name. Oh, and while I'm doing an author's note for this chapter, I'll go ahead and add again that you should really follow ThePoisonedOne, especially if you are a fan of Dean/Castiel stories. Also, remember, I really love reviews!

**Chapter 5: Sex and Violence**

**(Dean's Perspective)**

"Thank you, Dean," Cass said in that deep gravelly voice of his. As they left the crowded bar, Dean slipped his arm around Cass' shoulder. Charlie was staying a bit behind, paying for her drinks, hitting on some super hot blonde chick that they had somehow missed before.

It was kind of weird, because Dean was sure he would have noticed this chick that Charlie was chatting up. She had cans that he wasn't likely to forget, and her jeans were so tight he wondered how they didn't tear, not that he would complain if they did. What was funny was that before he had been looking around, and he had noticed that everyone seemed to be on a date. There were almost no non-couple customers at the place, other than him and Cass, and Charlie of course. So how had this girl totally escaped his notice? Whatever, it looked like she and Charlie were hitting it off, so Dean decided to forget about it.

"No problem man, I don't expect you to have any money. Sam and I will teach you to hustle pool and do credit card scams eventually." Dean paused, shaking his head. "Wow, sometimes I realize just how much we've corrupted you." He laughed, remembering the night he had taken Cass to a freaking brothel, and the fear in Cass' eyes that night. "Damn Cass, remember how innocent you used to be?"

"I'm still fairly innocent," Cass replied. He sounded almost defensive. Did the guy still value his virtue or something?

"Yeah, that's what I love about you," Dean said before he could think it through. They were walking out the door as he said it, and the cold blast of air as they made their way into the parking lot made Dean press closer to his friend. He could feel Cass' breathing, as the angel's side moved against his own. When Dean spoke his lips were way too close to Cass' face for friendship, almost touching his cheek which hadn't been shaved for a few days. Castiel's permanently messy hair moved with the soft breeze. Dean could smell shampoo, and something that he sort of suspected was honey.

They were standing in front of Dean's 1967 Chevy Impala. Dean took his arm away from Cass' shoulder, and opened up the driver's side. He leaned in, and turned the key so that the car purred to life, moving the heat dial to full blast. They would have to wait a few minutes for Charlie to come out of the bar so they could tell her where to meet them, but if Dean could help it, they would wait in the warm car with some tunes. He groaned as he realized that there was a rattling noise coming from the vents that he had heard a few times before. The stupid heater was busted again. Well, that was one more thing to add to his to do list, like solving this weird ass case and convincing Charlie to quit the life wasn't enough to worry about.

He turned on one of his cassette tapes at random, and the song 'Tangerine' by Led Zeppelin started playing softly. Dean leaned against the engine of his baby. Cass was standing in front of him, gazing at him with those deep blue eyes. How many times had Dean had this stupid dream? Son of a bitch, he thought, I've had this freaking dream more times than I can count. The difference was, this time it wasn't a dream. So, Dean was sure that nothing would happen. Well, that didn't mean he couldn't look. No one would ever know, as long as Cass didn't decide that now was a good moment to start doing that creepy mind reading thing he sometimes did.

God damn it, but Cass looked fine with the dark sky and twinkling stars behind him. Dean regretted taking his arm away from his friend's shoulder as a shiver ran up his spine. The breeze was chilly, and Cass had been so warm. Castiel noticed, and slipped off his tan trench coat, handing the crumpled jacket to Dean. Well damn, it was almost weird seeing Cass without it, like it was a permanent fixture or something. He looked so different in just the white button up shirt and business pants.

"Thanks," Dean said. "I guess you don't have to worry about the cold, huh?" he asked. "Angel mojo, or whatever," he answered his own question. Cass just nodded with that wide eyed expression. He was standing very close. Dean was torn between mentioning something about personal space, and moving even closer to share the angel's body heat.

He slipped on the trench coat, wrapping it around himself with a shudder that wasn't entirely from the cold. The coat was very warm, and it smelled sweet and soft like Cass. Dean tried not to remember the nights he had spent sobbing into the stupid coat when he was keeping it for Cass after the leviathan disaster. He had kept it in every trunk of every stolen car, holding on to the hope that someday he could return it, even if back then he had not believed that would ever be possible. Sometimes, when Sammy was asleep, he had just sat in the car, holding it and wishing that he had his angel with him.

Sam could never know how much it hurt Dean when he thought that they had lost Castiel forever. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, this was Sammy after all. He knew that he could trust his little brother with anything, he just didn't know how sometimes. He had been raised to be a hunter, not a pussy who talked about his feelings all the time. It was just such a private feeling, and so mixed up, sense he still hadn't gotten over Cass' betrayal of trust at the time. The way he felt about Cass was something he had never experienced, and he wasn't sure how to deal with it. Well, he had his angel now. He just didn't know how to handle their closeness at the moment.

Cass leaned forward, so that their faces were almost touching. Dean's breathing hitched, and he tensed up, Cass was so close that crossing his legs to hide the embarrassing truth wasn't really an option. He felt the denim of his jeans growing tight. Castiel's breath was warm on his face. Their bodies were so close, their waists pressed together, and Dean felt his breath quicken as he felt something hard beneath Castiel's pants pushed against him. Cass was leaning into Dean, and their lips were so close. He felt his confidence growing, and that wasn't the only part of him that was. He leaned in, getting ready to break the distance between their lips that was so insignificant, but seemed so infinite. Why was it so impossible to think that maybe Cass cared about him as much as he cared about the angel? Besides, he could show Cass stuff. He was Dean freaking Winchester. Virtue was not one of his virtues. It was so quiet. Cass' face was so freaking close.

In a horrible instant, the moment was lost.

Someone screamed. Dean and Cass both turned and started running towards the sound. They both froze as they made their way across the parking lot to see a man lying on the pavement, blood splattered everywhere. The bright red against the black pavement in the soft glow of the stars was a disturbing sight, but the body wasn't even the weirdest part of the scene they had come upon in the shadows of the bar's parking lot.

Standing in front of the dead dude was a girl with bleached blonde hair, a cheerleader uniform, and heels that looked like they would break if she shifted her weight wrong. An acne faced teenage girl with red curly hair was sitting behind the wheel of a truck right out of a bad country song, and it was impossible to tell if she was laughing or crying. She seemed to be doing both.

It looked like the truck had slammed into the guy. Dean rushed over to the driver's side of the truck, trying to yank the murderous brat out of the car to figure out if she was possessed or what. Before he could, there was a smashing pain in the back of his head as the blonde chick flung one of her ridiculous heels at him. He toppled over, and ginger chick was able to run to this girl who was apparently her friend or something.

Cass helped Dean up, and they watched as the two girls met. They embraced, both laughing hysterically, with tears running down their cheeks. The ginger one wrapped her arms around the cheerleader, and smashed their lips together. It was the most un-hot lesbian make out Dean had ever seen. It was like the red headed girl owned the cheerleader or something, the way they looked at each other. Even without the dead dude surrounded in deep crimson blood splatters beside them, these chicks would still be creepy. As it was, Dean was trying to figure out if they were being controlled somehow, or if they were just psychotic. Dean thought about Sarah Smith, the woman whose boyfriend had killed her with a kitchen knife. It didn't seem likely that two different people had randomly gone insane a couple of days apart in the same town.

"What the hell?" came Charlie's voice. She ran across the parking lot, meeting them in front of the bizarre scene.

"Call the nine one one," Dean said. Charlie nodded. Dean was pretty sure he was the only one who knew her well enough to notice that she was pursing her lips like her life depended on it to avoid showing how much she was trembling.


	6. Say Anything

**Chapter 6: Say Anything**

**(Sam's Perspective)**

Dean, Castiel, and Charlie had arrived at the hotel room late at night having examined the corpse of a man who was hit by a truck in the parking lot of a bar that they all ended up in. Charlie was now sleeping on the love seat in the corner, having explained that her hotel was crappy, and had unreliable wi fi. Dean was sleeping in one of the beds, and Sam was sleeping in the other. Castiel was sitting at the desk, looking through the books on monsters and demons, sense he did not sleep. Sam had offered him the lap top, but the scared look in Cass' eyes at the suggestion had caused him to change the subject out of sympathy. He might have known. After all, the poor guy's voice mail was him asking why it wanted to know his name.

Sam was having a hard time sleeping with the soft light of the lamp from Castiel researching. He felt kind of bad for having the angel research while the rest of them slept, but Cass seemed to feel guilty about the trick he and Dean had played, and he had insisted. Sam heard Dean mumbling in his sleep. He tried to ignore it.

"Mm, Cass," Dean murmured.

"Yes, Dean?" Cass looked up from the book he was reading, but Dean just rolled over in his sleep. Cass shrugged, and went back to read.

"Yes," Dean whispered. Sam glanced at his brother from across the room, and promptly buried his face in his pillow. Dean's hands were down his pants. Castiel was staring at Dean too, wide eyed.

"Well this is rather uncomfortable," Castiel remarked.

"Oh yes," Dean began moving more in the bed. He rubbed against his pillow, and started moving his lips against it hungrily.

"Yeah, it is, rather uncomfortable Cass," Sam agreed. He was now sitting up, and wondering whether he should wake his big brother up. Dean's hands were moving a lot under his pants, and Sam cringed. "Dean!" he snapped loudly.

"Oh, hey, Sammy. Its not what it looks like. We were just, um, eating pie," Dean mumbled, taking his hands out of his pants. "The reason the pie is on the bed is that we were um, we were both just really sleepy."

"OK, Dean," Sam agreed, realizing that Dean was still dreaming. He knew from spending eight hours a day with the guy that Dean was a sound sleeper, and occasionally a sleep talker. He wasn't especially surprised by this dream, just a little grossed out to be hearing his brother have a sex dream.

It was obvious to Sam that Dean's sexuality was pretty fluid. Obviously he did his best to avoid the topic, sense Dean was his brother. At the same time, they did travel together, so it wasn't like there were many secrets between them. He could understand it, too.

After all, if Sam liked guys, he would dream about Castiel. He had a certain man beauty to him, with his rumpled black hair, light stubble, and bright blue eyes. Sam realized how that sounded, and sincerely hoped that Cass was not reading his mind. Luckily, Cass seemed to be immersed in research once more.

The chemistry and intensity between Dean and Castiel had been clear from the moment Sam saw them together. Hell, he had suspected something the moment Dean even told him about Castiel, and how he was the one who rescued Dean from Hell. There was something in Dean's voice when he talked to or about Castiel that Sam had never heard before.

Castiel did not seem to be especially concerned with the dream. Perhaps sense he was an angel he did not care about that kind of thing. Well that would put a damper on things if Dean ever decided to open up.

Sam would be glad if his brother did decide to open up. Hm, maybe Castiel would even say something about the dream and Dean would have no choice but to talk. Sam could always say something, but he decided not to on the principle that Dean would likely never forgive him. Sam liked the way that Castiel treated his brother. He protected Dean the way Dean protected Sam.

Castiel was the one person other than Sam who always came back to Dean. Everyone else in their lives betrayed them, or left them, or died. Well, Castiel had betrayed them once, but they had amazingly moved past that one. Sam was glad of that, because he saw how his brother needed Castiel.

Dean was a strong willed, bad ass, hunter. There was no doubt about that. He was still human, though. He still had feelings, even if he rarely talked about them. Of course Dean had Sam to share his feelings with, but that was different, because Dean felt obligated to protect Sam all the time. Sam had tried to tell Dean that he wanted to protect Dean as well, that he wasn't a little kid anymore. It didn't make a difference. Dean still saw himself as having that one job, look after Sammy. Well maybe Cass had that one job too, look after Dean. That idea made Sam's heart fill up. The one thing he was worried about was that Cass would leave just like everyone else.

Dean couldn't take anymore loss. Sam desperately wanted his brother to open up and share his feelings, but not if it meant pain. He couldn't stand the idea of Dean getting hurt again. He refused to let that happen.

"Hey Cass?"

"Yes, Sam?"

"I know this is really awkward but, uh," he hesitated, not sure exactly what he was trying to say.

"Dean does always say that you are the second most socially awkward person he has met, after me of course," Castiel said. "His words, not mine."

"Right," Sam said. "Um, so Cass, you're like, one of my best friends and everything, but-"

"I'm one of your best friends?" Castiel interrupted.

"Of course, man. I mean, you're probably my best friend. Wow, I sound like a chick right now. Anyway, you're family, Cass, obviously. But if you ever hurt Dean, I will end you."

"Why would I ever harm Dean?"

"If you make fun of him for this dream, or-"

"If I what?"

"You know," Sam began. He was interrupted.

"Yes, I know what you mean, Sam," Castiel said. "Do you not know me at all? I would never make fun of Dean for this."

"Or," Sam continued, having expected that one. Cass wasn't really the making fun of people type. "If he ever tells you anything about what he feels, or tries anything, if you turn him down, I just don't want you two to stop caring about each other. I mean, the three of us, that's all there is. That's all we have."

"I know that, Sam," Cass said. Their eyes met, and Sam knew that he wouldn't. "I know that in the past, I've..." Cass trailed off, looking pained. "I suppose I have hurt Dean before, and even you, Sam. I sincerely apologize for the past. You have to understand something, though. Even when I betrayed you two, even when I lied to both of you, I was doing it, all of it, for Dean. I was just trying to save the world, because he taught me how valuable humanity is. The two of you taught me about free will, about people, and connections, and living. I'm so sorry for hurting you're brother in the past, Sam, but I promise you, it will never happen again." Sam looked into the angel's eyes, and knew that he meant it. "Um, Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it not, traditionally the father that has this talk with potential suitors?" So, Cass considered himself a potential suitor. That was interesting. Sam just shrugged at the question.

"I guess. Our dad never did, he was more worried about us learning to hunt properly than us meeting girls. Besides, its usually the girl's dad who has a talk with a guy." Sam chuckled at that. "Well, you did rescue Dean from Hell. I guess that makes him the damsel in distress in this situation."

"Oh, I can assure you, Sam, Dean is not a female." Castiel was clearly trying to make a serious point. Sam laughed again.

"I was just kidding, Cass" Sam said, wondering why Cass said it in that way. He could assure Sam, could he? Had something already happened? Dean had come home wearing Castiel's coat. Huh.

He knew that Castiel would always protect Dean. Like Dean, he would have one job. Dean always looked after Sam, and Cass would always look after Dean. Sam lay back down, and closed his eyes. Luckily, Dean was quiet for the rest of the night. Sam was hoping that Castiel had gotten the hint he was trying to throw too, that maybe Dean wasn't going to ever mention this dream, which Sam suspected was not his first similar dream. Maybe Dean would always shut out his feelings. Sam hoped not, but there was another option. If Castiel truly cared as much about Dean as he said he did, maybe he could take a step. Perhaps the angel could say something about the shift in their odd and confusing relationship which Sam had heard them refer to as a 'profound bond.'

In the morning, Sam knew that he was going to have to ask about the night before. He was admittedly a little pissed at them for ditching him. He couldn't believe that they had lied to him, like kids skipping class or something. He was glad that they had run into Charlie, though. She could seriously help them with this case, she was so smart.

When the sun did start to come up Sam let Dean pick them all up breakfast and coffee before he started in on them. He felt like a parent, and the talk he had been having with Castiel that night certainly didn't help. Why did he have to be the adult here?

"Really, Dean?" Sam shook his head as his brother looked at him with wide, green, puppy dog eyes. He wasn't even going to ask why in the hell Dean was wearing Castiel's trench coat when he came home the previous night. He was very curious, but Sam didn't want to make things awkward. The las thing he wanted to was to humiliate his big brother. Maybe he would have a chance to ask about the coat later.

"You think I didn't realize that you were making some crap up when Cass told me he was going to the post office, and you told me you were going to the bathroom, then you went outside? Come on, dude. I really need you guys to focus on this case."

"I'm really sorry, Sammy!" Dean, Cass, and Charlie were sitting together on one of the beds in Sam and Dean's hotel room as Sam stood in front of them, lecuring them. "You have to admit, though, its a good thing we were out, or we wouldn't have seen the dead guy!" Sam sighed.

"Whatever," Sam muttered. "So I think we can all agree that something is controlling people's emotions."

"We interrogated the two girls, and it sounds like the cheerleader was dating the guy who got hit with the car. He was a jock," Charlie explained. Sam was annoyed that they had not called him if they were doing the whole FBI routine, but he supposed there had not been time. All the same, he was concerned about the way his brother was acting. He was so forgetful lately, like his mind was someplace else. "So, according to the girls, the one that hit the guy had been in love with cheerleader chick for years. Out of nowhere, little miss popular decides that not only is she no longer driving stick, she's also head over heels for creepy stalker girl. Then she hit Dean over the head with one of her stiletto heels when he tried to tackle her in her stick shift truck which she used to plow over the guy cheerleader chick used to plow."

"I'm Ok, though!" Dean said, swaying a little. Sam raised an eyebrow at his brother, who had a growing bump on his head where the shoe had presumably hit him.

"Maybe you shouldn't have laid down last night," Sam said. He wanted to add 'I think its fine though. You didn't go into a coma or anything that's for sure, you were talking all night long in your sleep.' He didn't say that out loud. Instead, he said: "OK, so people who were totally in love before are now falling for other people."

"Then they're ganking the people they were supposedly in love with before to get rid them," Dean added.

"So what are we thinking? Some kind of demon deal?" Charlie asked.

"Maybe," Sam replied. "This does all kind of say crossroads deal, except normally those aren't all so similar. Demons make deals about all different things. This is like some weird love fest."

"Like the bar," Dean said, and Charlie and Cass nodded. "Everyone there was with someone, it was like couple's night out or something."

"It was a den of inequity," Cass said. For some reason Dean looked a little hurt. Sam decided to ask him about it later, when the angel wasn't around. Had Dean tried something that would cause his face to turn pink when Cass said that? Sam gave his older brother a meaningful look that hopefully said: 'Don't think I don't know something is going on with you.'

Sam truly didn't want to embarrass Dean, though, that was the thing. He certainly hadn't meant to do so when he snapped at Dean and Cass over not focusing on research. He just wanted to make sure that this case was solved, and also, that his brother faced his feelings instead of just constantly zoning out into Castiel's eyes. Dean was always so closed up. Sam just wanted his brother to stop staring, and say something. He also wished that Dean would talk to him. He talked to Dean about everything. He loved his brother so much, and he knew that Dean loved him too. Dean just wasn't a big touchy feely sharing and caring kind of guy. All that Sam wanted was for his big brother to be able to say anything to him.

Whatever was going on with Dean, Sam just wanted to be there for him. Dean had been with him through everything. He had been there when Sam needed advice on how to talk to girls. He had been there when Sam was considering skipping class to hang out with friends, and when Sam was in trouble for skipping school for a reason other then a hunt. When the rest of the hunting community was convinced that Sam was some kind of demonic freak that was going to be part of a demon army, Dean had protected him, saved his life even. Dean had bee the one who had insisted on an intervention when Sam became addicted to demon's blood, and even though they had struggled, for the most part Dean had been there when Sam was recovering from being addicted to demon's blood. He had forgiven Sam for being with Ruby, and helping to jump start the apocalypse. He had never given up on Sam, not even when Sam heard Lucifer in his head. Hell, the list could really go on forever. Dean had even gone to Hell for him. Dean was just always there no matter what. Sam wished his big brother would let him be there too, but John had been even harder on Dean than Sam, and Dean had listened to John a lot more than Sam ever did too. After being raised as hunter, and taught that repression was the best way to deal with anything from depression to love, Dean wasn't one for sharing his feelings.

"Why the hell are you looking at me like I'm a puppy and you're getting ready to rescue me?" Dean snapped, taking a swig from the beer he was holding, which Sam assumed he had gotten at the bar. So, it must have sat out all night. Bleh, Sam thought. Had Dean been holding it when he was pretending to be an FBI agent? Knowing Dean, he probably had. Sam decided that a 'don't ask, don't tell' approach was best when it came to his brother's drinking habits.

"I'm not! I mean, sorry," Sam said quickly. "I was just zoning out, I guess, thinking about the case."

"Whatever, bitch," Dean muttered.

"Jerk," Sam retorted.

"If you ladies are done," Charlie intervened. "I think we had best go and talk to dead girl number one's boyfriend again." They all nodded. He had after all started the whole thing by killing his girlfriend who he supposedly idolized with a kitchen knife. "He might know something. Or, he might lead us to someone who does. It sounds kind of like he had a girl on the side, except it sounds like that wasn't like him up until recently. If he can't tell us anything, maybe she can."

"Good idea," Dean said. "Maybe whatever mojo someone, or something, was working on him, is the same as whatever was happening to those creepy lesbians back at the bar." They all stood, and headed towards the door, except for Castiel.

"Wait," Castiel said. They all turned around to the angel, who was still sitting on the bed. "I don't see why all of us have to go. We were unable to do much research earlier, because some of us weren't focusing very well. Perhaps a few of us should stay behind and study the history of this town a bit more."

"Sam and I can go question the boyfriend," Charlie said before Sam could open his mouth. He shot her a strange glance. She had spoken so fast that he was still processing Castiel's idea.

"Um, sure, I guess," he shrugged.

"Then its settled!" Charlie said. "Come on Sam!" Charlie was pulling Sam out of the room by his sleeve before he could say anything else, or even give Dean the questioning look that he wanted to.

**Author's Note:**

Hello lovely readers, and as always _thank you_ for reading! I am so grateful for the support I have had with this story. To anyone following this, anyone who has favorited this, and especially anyone who has reviewed this, just thank you so much, I can't tell you how much it means. I am having so much fun writing this, and leading up to the awesomely fun prompt, which is listed in Chapter 1, and is about to come into play. Just an FYI: The title of this chapter is a reference to the wonderfully corny but totally awesome movie "Say Anything" I just feel like Sam and Dean's relationship totally relates. I've always thought so :) I really hope you all are enjoying this story, and thank you times a million to a those who have reviewed. As always, I really love reviews (hint, hint)!


	7. Blushes and Gorgeous Green eyes

**Chapter 7: Blushes and Gorgeous Green eyes**

**(Castiel's Perspective)**

Castiel gazed at Dean who was standing all the way across the room from him. He gestured for the hunter to make his way over to the bed. Dean hesitated, but slowly walked over and sat beside the angel. Castiel felt the heart of Jimmy Novak racing.

"Dean, I can heal your injury," he said. Dean nodded. His skin was changing color again, turning pale pink. Castiel touched his palm to the bump where the female's high heeled footwear had smashed into the hunter's head.

"Thanks, Cass," Dean said. His voice cracked a little, as if he throat were dry. The bump disappeared, and Dean shook his head a little, so that Cass had to take his hand away, even though he didn't want to.

"Are you feeling alright, Dean?"

"Yep, all better, thanks again, man."

"No, I mean, you're skin is looking rather flushed," Cass said. "I am concerned that you are ill, this seems to be happening to you rather frequently." Dean snorted a laugh, and Castiel tilted his head to the side, waiting for an explanation.

"I'm blushing, man, don't worry about it," Dean muttered.

"I don't understand, Dean."

"Its when-"

"I understand what blushing is," Castiel interrupted. "I don't understand why you are."

"Sorry," Dean mumbled without meeting Castiel's eyes. That sparked a flicker of annoyance in the angel. He knew that the hunter was a human, that he could never really have him, but he could at least look at those gorgeous green eyes, and think about the soul inside that he loved so much, and watch the way Dean moved. It was so painful when Dean didn't look back at him. This body wasn't is, so he knew it was silly, but he wanted to Dean to want to look at him.

"Why are you sorry?"

"Just stop asking questions, will you? Jesus, man. Lets get some thigh smacker ail out of the mini fridge, and do some research," Dean said.

"Dean, you know we aren't going to find anything of use." Castiel had been up late the previous night attempting research, and had found nothing too interesting. Whatever was doing this, it was very intelligent.

"Yeah, probably not."

"So, we could just as easily tell Sam and Charlie that we were researching when we were not."

"Jesus Christ, what am I turning you into?"

"You told me once that when humans want something really, really bad, they lied. You said that was how one became the president."

"You sure do remember a lot of crap I say, Cass. Don't you know me? I talk out of my ass half the time."

"I certainly know you, I remember everything you say to me. You know I enjoy our talks, our time together. I have never seen you speaking from any part other than you're mouth before, though. I am fairly certain if you did, I should be very worried for your mental and physical health."

"Son of a bitch, you're adorable," Dean said. There was a loaded pause. Castiel just stared at Dean. That was not something that Dean would normally say. Castiel thought about the woman at the bar Charlie had been talking to. She had been so insistent that if you liked someone, you should do something about it.

When Dean was paying for drinks, Charlie had been speaking to a blonde haired female with a low cut blouse, and much too tight jeans. Cass had noticed Dean staring at the woman, and felt something angry stir inside of him. He hadn't understood it, so instead of worrying over it, he had briefly listened to the conversation, using his angel hearing, which Dean sometimes called 'super sonic' whatever that meant.

Charlie and the girl had been talking about how when someone had feelings for someone else, action was required. The woman had seemed very aggressive about this fact. Charlie had agreed, but not as forcefully. As Dean paid for their drinks, and Charlie was momentarily distracted paying for her own beverage, the woman had pulled Cass aside.

She told him that he obviously had feelings for the man he was with. Castiel had chuckled, telling her that they did, after all, share a more profound bond. She had looked at him quizzically, and handed him a little capsule. She told him it was something to help boost a person's feelings. Castiel had questioned her further about what it was, and she had admitted that it was nothing too fancy, just a little something to take a person's guard down, and allow them to admit things to themselves that they otherwise would not be able to. She explained that the results would start slow, and build until the person was unable to deny or forget the truth of what they were feeling. The way she said it was somewhat intense, but Castiel supposed she must take these matters seriously.

Castiel could of course see demons, and monsters for what they truly were. This woman did not seem to be either, so he had taken the little capsule, thinking that it was probably some human concoction that would have little or no effect. Still, he had dumped the container into Dean's drink, thinking it was worth a try. After all, he was always waiting around for Dean. Maybe the woman was right, and it was time to take action.

This body, Jimmy Novak's body was not his. Nothing really belonged to him. He was an angel living in a human world. He had left his own world behind, rebelled, for Dean. He cared about Dean more than anything else. Castiel knew he could likely never have what he really wanted, but if the woman's capsule was a human potion of sorts, maybe he could at least have this human wish, something to hope for. Now, he had no way of knowing whether the moment he and Dean had shared in the parking lot of the bar was a result of the capsule or not. He found himself hoping that it was not.

"Thank you, Dean, you are also adorable," he said softly.

"Whoa, I did not just say that out loud. If I did, I meant it in a totally not weird, platonic w-"

"Stop it, Dean," Cass said forcefully interrupting his friend. This was made difficult because of how much he loved his friend's deep voice. He just didn't so much love what Dean was saying. "I understand." He did understand, too. "You don't feel the same. I should have never thought-" he cut himself off because he could not bear to say what he had almost let himself think. "I'm sorry. Let us leave it at that."

"OK," Dean agreed. He was looking at Cass, now. Their eyes met. Castiel understood that Dean was telling him that his interest was foolish, that anything that may have almost happened at the bar meant nothing. He understood, and it hurt him in a way he had never been hurt, in a way he could not understand.

Just as he was getting ready to suggest that maybe research was a smart idea after all, Dean did that last thing Castiel expected him to. He leaned in, and pressed his lips against Cass'. For a moment, Castiel could not move. He had no idea what to do as Dean's lips moved against his, and he felt stubble against his cheeks, and tasted beer and cigarettes. Dean scooted closer to him, and he felt the sam strange feeling he had experienced in his pants in the parking lot. He did not understand it, and he was nervous of it, but he enjoyed it. He could feel his pants tightening.

"I'm sorry," Dean said, pulling away. Cass just stared at him.

"For what?"

"Just forget it," Dean muttered. "You obviously didn't like that. Just please forget it, and just-" he looked at Cass' lap, and suddenly smiled. Castiel was more confused then ever. "Wait, Cass, do you have a boner?"

"I certainly enjoyed that Dean. I'm sorry if I did not respond correctly. I suppose I do have an erection." Dean chuckled, and Cass felt a smile spread across his lips.

"OK, man, you're an angel. You aren't used to this, so I'll teach you. Just follow my lead." Cass nodded. He was nervous, afraid he would do something wrong, but he was also excited. Maybe it didn't matter to Dean that he was angel and they were from different worlds. Maybe he could have something human after all. He had rebelled against Heaven for this man, maybe he could enjoy the perks after all.

Dean leaned into Castiel, and wrapped his arms around his neck. Cass hesitated, but placed his hands behind the small of Dean's back, beneath his own trench coat which Dean was still wearing. Dean pressed his lips to Cass', and this time, Cass responded, moving his lips a little just like Dean did. He liked the feeling of Dean's muscles beneath his palms, and ran his hands along Dean's back, reaching beneath his shirt.

Dean made a soft sound, and pushed Castiel back into the bed. Cass was looking up at Dean's beautiful face, and Dean was wrapping his legs around either side of Cass' waist and squeezing. Castiel could feel that he was not the only one with an erection. Dean pressed his chest against Castiel's, leaning in and kissing Castiel's neck. It was an amazing feeling, and Cass gripped Dean's bare shoulders as he reached beneath his clothes, his nails digging in. Dean pulled away, and Cass made an involuntary noise of complaint. Dean grinned, pulling off first Castiel's trench coat, then his own brown leather jacket, and throwing them to the side. He pulled off his shirt next, and Castiel was pulling him back down.

Dean's abs were so perfect. He had noticed this before when Dean was fighting, and flexing his muscles, but now he could really see how flawless Dean's body was. Dean's hands fumbled to undo Castiel's button up shirt. Cass felt his fears melting away as he moved his hands down to Dean's butt, pushing Dean's waist into his own. Dean thrust against him, and Cass' breathing quickened. Dean finally finished unbuttoning Castiel's shirt, and he tossed it aside. Dean's muscles flexed as he pressed his bare chest to Catiel's, and Cass pushed his hands into the denim back of Dean's pants firmly, pushing down hard. The whole bed shook, creaking in violent protest. Castiel gripped Dean tight, and raised his own waist so that they were pressed against each other in a steady rocking motion.

The white button up shirt ended up in a pile with the other clothes. Dean was kissing Castiel's chest, and moving down his abdomen, closer and closer to his waist. Dean's lips were warm and damp, moving steadily around the waistline to Castiel's pants. He undid the button and zipper, and the pants came down. Dean's lips caressed the edges of Castiel's underwear, and began moving against his inner thighs. Castiel felt his back arch, and he tangled his hands in Dean's sandy, hair, trying to move Dean's face towards his crotch.

Dean pulled off Castiel's underwear with hot hands. He placed his hands on either side of Castiel's bare waist, and his mouth finally met its destination. Castiel gasped, rocking violently. Dean's lips were tight and his tongue was moving just a little. Nothing had ever felt so amazing, no other human desire could compare to this. When Dean was done, he climbed up next to Castiel, and laid his head on Cass' chest, pulling the covers just over their waists. Dean was still wearing his jeans, but Castiel could see through the sheets that there was a bump which meant that they were pulled too tight.

He could give Dean just what Dean had given him, he could share that joy. He didn't have any experience or anything, but he could try. He leaned over, and pressed his lips against Dean's, kissing Dean's jawline as he moved away from his lips, before pulling himself on top of Dean, kissing his neck and chest. Dean moaned, pulling Cass closer to him. It was a beautiful moment.

Of course the moment had to be ruined, because nothing ever worked out so perfectly. Or, if it did, it did for other people. If anyone was ever allowed to be happy, it was some civilian who had not saved the world countless times. The hotel door creaked open.

"Oh my God!" Charlie's voice squealed.

"No, I'm Castiel," Cass said, confused.

"Oh my God, my eyes!" Sam said, turning away.


	8. Daddy Issues

**Chapter 8: Daddy Issues**

**(Dean's Perspective)**

It was like living the best dream ever only for it to turn into the worst nightmare ever. Dean turned away from Castiel's embrace, and towards his shocked little brother and friend. He mouthed wordlessly as Sam looked at him with disgust and horror, and ran out of the room. He had never told Sam that he was interested in anything other than girls. He had sort of assumed that Sam knew the truth, but maybe not judging by Sam's shock. Charlie was giggling a little bit.

"Aww!" she managed. "I am so so sorry you guys. Just, you know, carry on." She hurried out of the room too. Dean stood up and started pulling on his T-shirt and brown leather jacket.

"Son of a bitch!" he exclaimed. Castiel was watching him with sad eyes from the bed. "God damn it!"

"What is the problem?" Castiel asked. "Has nothing like this ever happened before? After all, you and your brother do travel together."

"No, Cass, nothing like this has ever happened. I mean, sure Sam's walked in on me with girls, but this is different. This is you." Castiel was looking at him with these stupid wide, sad eyes, and Dean was starting to get pissed.

"Dean, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Just shut up!" Dean snapped, and Castiel looked like a lost puppy, laying there with his heart broken face.

It was none of Castiel's business if Sam was or wasn't Ok with something, and he didn't need to feel sorry about it. Dean was sure that Cass was sitting there pitying him, and he wanted none of it. Sam was family, so he didn't want Castiel judging him. Dean remembered what Castiel had done to some certain preachers when he was God, and shuddered. Nothing like that was going to happen to Sam. He wouldn't let it.

Sam had always seemed so open minded. Maybe he didn't care what most people did, but he cared what his own brother did. It seemed odd though, considering that they knew the truth about angels, and God, and Heaven, and Hell. So this could not be a religious thing. No matter what, Dean was at least sure that Sam would find a way to forgive him, he would have to. This was Sam, the little brother he had gone to Hell for, who he always looked out for. They would get past this, like they got past everything. They would find a way.

Dean just wished Sam had not seen him like that. He could be such an idiot sometimes, why had he even tried making his fantasies a reality? Dreams were all well and good, but taking action was clearly the wrong choice.

"Dean, I-"

"Damn it Cass, leave it alone." Dean slammed the door behind him as he hurried outside after Sam. When he walked out the sun burned his eyes, and the pale blue sky loomed above him. A few wispy white clouds drifted lazily by.

The icy wind whistled, and it was like laughter. It was as if the perfect sky and the silent parking lot were mocking Dean. He could hear his every footstep, like thunder against the pavement. His heart pounded in his chest. He hoped that Cass wasn't using his super sonic hearing at the moment. The last thing he wanted was for the angel to hear his hear beat. He wanted Castiel listening to the conversation he was about to have about as much.

The cold air blew through his jacket, and he remembered how Cass had kept him warm in the parking lot of the bar. Dean tried not to think about how that would probably never happen again. Sam was leaning against the Impala, looking up at the sky, expressionless.

If he wasn't so pissed at himself, Dean would have been amused at this. It was almost always him leaning against his baby, avoiding talking to people. Well, he was going to talk to Sam. If his little brother was not OK with something, they were going to deal with it.

"Sam..."

"Dean, hey," Sam looked up in surprise. His face was empty of emotion. Dean felt his heart turn over. Sam meant more to him than anyone else in the world. He just wanted his brother to accept him. "What are you doing out here?" Sam asked. Charlie poked her head out from the passenger side window.

"We left so you could do what you wanted," Charlie said. "By the way, you know your heater is broken?" she was shuffling through the cassette tapes.

"Yeah, I know, I need to fix it. Sammy, can we talk?"

"You know what, Dean? No, we can't," Sam said. "I can't believe you." Dean's could actually feel the pain in his heart as Sam's words twisted into him like daggers. "Just go back to the room." He spoke fast, gunshots this time instead of stabbing.

"Wait, what?" Charlie asked. She leaned all the way out the window, dropping the cassette tapes. Normally Dean would have cringed as his tapes clattered to the floor of the Impala. Now he could only focus on his brother, who was shaking his head. "Sam, what about all the stuff you said to Cass last night?"

"You guys were talking about me last night?" Dean asked.

"Charlie was eavesdropping, I thought she was asleep," Sam said, looking at Charlie in annoyance.

"But you said-" Charlie began.

"I know what I said. Which is why we can't talk." Sam looked at Dean, and broke into a grin. Was he making fun of Dean?

"Sammy, listen, if we could just talk-"

"Dean, what are you trying to talk to me for? You might have something real in there. So man up, and go talk to Cass, not me." The relief was enough to make Dean forget the cold as warmth spread over him. So his little brother was alright with him having this. Sam was smiling at him in that dopey little kid way that Dean had come to adore.

"Oh thank, well, not god, but you know, whoever," he said. "I thought-"

"Dean! Stop being an idiot and go."

"So, you're OK, with...?"

"Go!" Sam and Charlie said at the same time, giggling.

"Right," Dean chuckled as he headed back towards the hotel room. He would talk to Cass, and maybe everything would work out. They could figure out exactly what had just happened, and maybe even finish what they had started.

Dean marched up the steps and down the hall to their room brimming with fresh confidence. Sam and Charlie knew what was up now, so it might be awhile before they came back. He felt his lips curl into a grin. This was going to be awesome.

It was going to be a dream come true, literally. How many times had he dreamed of having a room to himself with Castiel? It wasn't just that the angel had picked the perfect vessel, with adorable messy hair, and infinite blue eyes, the perfect amount of stubble, and the body of a male model. No, it was so much more than that.

He had never felt so safe with anyone. Of course Sammy meant the world to Dean, and he did feel safe with his little brother. Sam's role in his life was way different, though. Dean had that one job, always look after Sammy. Well, when he was with Cass, it was almost like he had found someone who wanted to look after him. Dean had never truly had that with anyone before. John had been a great dad in a lot of ways, and Dean knew that his father had loved him, but their relationship had been complex at best. Dean had been a soldier in training almost as much as a son. Dean didn't want to open up that can of worms right now. Instead he wanted to focus on how now he had found someone who seemed to care about protecting him, and being there for him more than anything.

When Castiel first rescued Dean from Hell it had been to use him as God's ammunition, sure. Then, and Dean's heart did a flip every time he thought about this, Castiel had rebelled against the forces of Heaven for him. Castiel had given up everything, all of it for Dean. There weren't many people who had someone that cared about them that much. Dean had two people. He had Sam, and he had Cass.

The angels had of course originally wanted him for their own purposes. Back then it had seemed like it was going to be a situation just like the one with his dad. Dean was a soldier, that was all he knew, that had been his whole life. Free will had not been an option for so long. So, of course, Dean had refused the angels what they wanted, like he had never refused an order from his father. Only Sam had been able to do that. The kid had more guts then Dean in some ways. Then Castiel had chosen Dean, rebelled for Dean, chosen free will instead of being a solider.

Castiel had once told Dean that he was grateful to the Winchesters for teaching him about free will. Well, he was grateful to Cass for learning. Son of a bitch, Dean thought, standing in front of the hotel room. Our experiences are actually super similar, he realized. They had both been soldiers driven by their fathers. They had helped each other realize that free will is more valuable than anything.

Maybe his life was super sucky sometimes. Sure, all of the responsibility that weighed on him could be overwhelming sometimes. Hell, sometimes the responsibility of watching out for Sam even felt like maybe it would crush him. Now he had found somebody who could be there for him, and lighten the weight on his shoulders just by sticking around. So, he took a deep breath, swiped the key, and opened the door.

"Hey, Cass, listen man, I-" Dean cut himself off. He was alone in the room. Castiel was gone.


	9. I will go down with this ship

**Chapter 9: I will go down with this ship**

**(Charlie's Perspective)**

"Well, that was productive in more than one way," Charlie said, grinning. Sam rolled his eyes. They were driving away from the hotel, and towards a diner they had noticed. Charlie was still a little giggly after seeing the way Dean beamed when she and Sam told him to go back inside. The Impala purred as Charlie pressed her foot to the gas, and sped up. She could see why Dean loved this car. It was pretty badass.

"You're obsession with my brother's sex life is getting kind of weird, Charlie."

"Hey, first of all, what can I say? Those Carver Edlund books were pretty good. I'm a fan girl. Second of all, I'm not obsessed. I just want them to be happy."

"Yeah, me too," Sam admitted. "After lunch, lets go and question this Delores." Charlie nodded. They had managed to get some information out shady knife wielding boyfriend dude.

According to him, he had been totally in love with his girlfriend, Sarah. That is, he had been up until a couple of weeks before he killed her. He said that he met Delores at a bar, and it had truly started off innocent. She had been bartending there for years, and she had seen him and Sarah around. The two started talking, and they had genuinely had common interests. They had been friends. Of course, a guy and a girl at a bar always ends up as more than friends. So, about a week after they started talking, they ended up in some skeevy hotel together. Well, according to him that's when it got out of hand.

Boyfriend dude explained that at first, he had believed that he was just begun to move on from Sarah. He said that his feelings for this Delores girl had started off nice, natural. Then he had been overwhelmed by them. He claimed that they were soul mates. He said that his love for Delores had overflowed, and he had been forced to do something. When Sam and Charlie asked why he couldn't just break up with her, he had acted like they were the crazy ones. He claimed that he couldn't even allow her to exist, because Delores would have to know that she was out there somewhere. So, naturally he had stabbed her to death with a freaking kitchen knife.

Well, maybe this Delores girl was a lead. Plus, Charlie and Sam investigating had given Cass and Dean a chance to be together. Finally, one of her ships was working out. Well, Leia and Hans had worked out alright. Of course, Hermione had ended up with the wrong guy. Well, Destiel was her current OTP anyway. She supposed that this was because they were really her friends in real life, as well as kick ass characters in an awesome novel series. She was incredibly happy for Cass and Dean. She loved Dean, and she wanted nothing more than for him to be happy. So why was something bothering her? She tried not to think to hard about this, because she wanted them to be happy, and she knew exactly what it was that was hiding in the back of her mind, nagging at her.

She was the tiniest bit jealous. Not of either of them, she was not so much about that life. No, she was just the tiniest bit jealous of their relationship. There, she thought it, if only to herself. She was always getting emotionally involved with fictional relationships, but lasting relationships weren't so big in her own life. Sure, she never had any trouble hooking up. She was a boss. Yet, things never lasted. She bit her lip, trying to focus on the road as she remembered the last time she had wanted things to last. A certain fairy came to mind. She chewed at a stray strand of red hair, remembering that brief time when she had gotten to be like a character in one of her favorite books, rescuing a damsel in distress.

It was a funny coincidence that the hot blonde chick at the bar the other night had talked about doing something about it when you had feelings for someone. She had hoped that the pretty girl was hinting that she was looking for a hook up, but that didn't seem to be it. It was almost like she was hinting at something, yet Charlie wasn't sure what. It seemed more like she was looking to hook up other people. When it became clear that Charlie was interested, Charlie never wasted her time, the girl had mentioned that Charlie had some cute friends, gesturing to Dean and Cass. Actually, she had said that they were cute together. Maybe she was looking to get with more than one person, or maybe she got off hooking up other people. Either way, Charlie had left her to talk to Castiel for a few minutes. Charlie was distracted from her thoughts by a soft fluttering sound.

"Hello." Sam and Charlie both jumped, and turned around. Castiel was sitting in the backseat.

"Cass, what the hell are you doing here?" Charlie asked, almost wrecking the car as she twisted in her seat to stare at him.

"I'm helping investigate."

"We already talked to the killer boyfriend, Cass," Sam said. "We're just going to lunch."

"Well, I'll go with you."

"We left to give you and Dean a chance to, well, you know!" Charlie burst out.

"I um, I don't think Dean wants to see me."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"He seemed rather upset."

"Of course, he was. We walked in on you two." Charlie waited for Castiel to understand. He tilted his head to the side, still looking baffled. "Look, I know for a fact Dean wants to see you. He was pretty psyched when Sam and I told him to go back to the room. Go, talk to him." Castiel nodded.

"OK." With another flutter of wings, he was gone.

"I swear, if those two could learn to communicate, our lives would be much less drama packed," Sam muttered.

"Yeah," Charlie agreed in a soft voice. She zoned off, trying not to think of her own life, and what could have been. Well, what could never be. She would just have to move on. The flutter of feathery wings interrupted her thoughts once more, and she swerved. Sam gasped, turning around to glare at Castiel who was back in the back seat.

"You two need to come back to the hotel right now," he said. His eyes were wide with something like panic.

"Cass, what's wrong?" Sam asked. "Is Dean OK?"

"Physically, he is fine. Just hurry, I'm going to go back right now, I'll meet you there." With a flap of invisible wings, Castiel vanished.


	10. This place about to BLOW-O-O-OH!

**Chapter 10: This Place about to BLOW-O-O-OH!**

**(Sam's Perspective)**

Sam and Charlie exchanged a nervous glance. They were standing outside of the hotel's door. Sam had rarely seen Castiel look so panicked. Something must be seriously wrong. Dean had been acting a little off lately. Maybe he had done or said something a little odd, and Cass was overreacting. He took a deep breath, and swiped the key. Charlie nodded at him with pursed lips, and they stood together as they opened the door. Sam shoved Charlie out of the way as a beer bottle flew towards them.

Dean was standing in the middle of the room, breathing heavily. Castiel was standing behind him towards the back of the room, looking helpless. Sam gave Castiel a questioning look before shaking his head at his brother.

"Dean, what the hell?" he asked.

"Cass left me to go and talk to you guys!" Dean said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"He was gone, and when he got back he said he had been with you, _discussing the case_!" He made the last part sound like something obscene, or disgusting. Sam and Charlie looked at one another with raised eyebrows.

"Dean, what is wrong with you?" Sam asked, approaching his brother the way he had approached stray dogs before.

"Wrong?" Dean laughed, and it was a little hysterical. "Wrong?" he shook his head, his eyes wide. "Oh no, nothing is wrong, Sammy, nothing at all," Dean said sarcastically. "You just acted all supportive of me, only to take Castiel away from me!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Charlie asked.

"He left!" Dean yelled. "He left to talk to you guys about the stupid case!"

"Dean, I was only gone a few moments. Besides, I thought we agreed that the case is important," Castiel interjected.

"Important?" Dean whipped around towards Cass, yelling. "Cass, what could be more important than us?"

"Um..."

"I thought you cared about me!"

"Dean, I do care about you, I just think you are acting a bit irrationally." Sam moved to sit down at the table, and in an instant, Castiel was shoving him to the ground.

The angel dove faster than Sam could move. They both toppled to the ground. Sam gasped, pushing the wrinkled material of the tan trench coat out of his face, and standing up.

"Cass, what the hell?"

"Don't sit there, Sam!" Castiel said, standing up as well.

"Yeah, I got that." Charlie was pulling what looked like a firecracker out from under the chair. She gasped, realizing that the end was lit, and struggled with the window.

It would not open. Sam hurried to help her tug it up. With their combined strength, they managed to get it to open. Charlie tossed the firecracker outside, and a moment later there was a loud bang from the parking lot. Sam turned to stare at his big brother.

"Dean, that could have blown me up!"

"Well, I was about to get blown, Sammy, and you two C-blockers took Cass away from me!" Dean yelled.

"Dean, we weren't taking Cass away from you. I promise you. We are happy for you." He felt like he was a police officer talking to someone holding people ransom in a bank, or maybe like he was trying to talk someone out of jumping off of a building.

"Yeah!" Charlie said. Her voice was way too high pitched, and she was smiling too wide. "We are super duper triple quadruple happy for you guys!"

"Are you just saying that?" Dean was glaring at them. He was crouched sort of like a wild animal.

"Yes!" Sam and Charlie said at the same time. Dean seemed to relax just a little. He nodded, standing up straight.

"Yeah, well, good," he said. He wrapped an arm around Castiel, who looked a little bit terrified. Sam couldn't blame Cass. Dean seemed to be sort of like a bomb ready to go off at any time. He was more nervous of his brother than he had been of the firecracker they had found.

"That is why we are going to give you two some alone time," Sam said.

"You are?" Castiel asked, his blue eyes were wide, and reminded Sam a bit of a deer in the headlights of a car.

Well, Sam didn't have a choice. It seemed that whatever mojo was being worked on people in the area, it had gotten to Dean. He had to figure out what the hell was going on, and that meant getting away from Dean. The only way that seemed possible was to give his brother the one thing that would distract him: A certain blue eyed angel.

"Come on, Charlie," Sam said. She was still staring at Dean. "Charlie!"

"Yep, see you guys later," she said. "Uh...have fun, I guess." She was still watching them with wide eyes as Sam tugged her by the wrist out of the room. Sam could hear the thumping sound of someone being pressed to a wall as he and Charlie left.

"Dean perhaps, we should talk before-" he could hear Castiel saying nervously. Sam and Charlie exchanged a look as Castiel's voice became muffled before he could finish.

Castiel had not been over-reacting. Dean was out of his mind. Sam and Charlie were going to have to figure something out to get Dean back to normal, or as normal as Dean ever was, and fast. If they were going to use Castiel as a distraction, it was up to the two of them to remain sane. Together they hurried away from the room.


	11. Fatal Attraction

**Chapter 11: Fatal Attraction**

**(Dean's Perspective)**

Dean shoved Cass against the wall, slamming his lips against the angel's with a sort of desperation. Cass kissed back with more hesitance than Dean had noticed before. He wrapped his arms around Dean's waist, though, and Dean decided not to be paranoid. He shoved his body against Castiel's, and pushed his tongue into Cass' mouth, tasting him, feeling the heat radiating from him.

"God, I love you so much," Dean whispered between hot and heavy kisses. His hands were shoved against Castiel's chest, his fingers scrunched around the tan fabric of the trench coat. They were finally alone in the room again. He felt like he was on fire. His entire being was being lapped at from the inside out by hungry flames.

"No, Dean, I'm Castiel," Cass managed. His voice was muffled by Dean's tongue.

"Castiel," he said through heavy breaths. "I am so in love with you."

"I can see that, Dean," Cass said. "Perhaps we should talk, though-"

"Talking is overrated," Dean said. He shoved his hand down Castiel's pants, and beneath the band of his underwear. Castiel made a soft sound, and pulled Dean closer. His arms were tight and strong around Dean's waist. "Besides, you say you want to talk, but your dick tells a different story."

"Dean, please don't be inappropriate." Castiel's voice was hoarse and rough and deep.

"OK, my bad, I'm so sorry," Dean said, squeezing the hand between Castiel's pants. He leaned into the angel's body, kissing Castiel's neck. Dean could hear and feel Castiel's hot breath on him, against him. Cass moaned. Dean grinned as he began moving his hand in a steady motion. He didn't know why he had apologized so easily, and so sincerely. He just knew that Castiel was gasping and rocking into Dean's hand.

Normally he would have come back with some snarky comment. Well, that might have hurt Cass' feelings, or upset him. Dean regretted with all of his hear every time he had ever been rude to Cass, or made fun of him. He would never do that again. Now that he understood his feelings, he would never be anything but kind to Castiel. He couldn't believe it had taken him this long. Castiel had always been there for him. Now it was Dean's turn to be there for Castiel, to lend a helping hand so to speak, no pun intended.

"Damn it Dean," Castiel murmured as Dean finished. They were both pressed together, Cass' back against the hotel wall. "We really need to talk."

"OK," of course," Dean said. "Anything." He meant it too. If Cass wanted to talk, he supposed they could talk. They could do anything, if it was what Castiel wanted.

Whatever Castiel wanted, Dean would give. He would die for Cass, and he would kill for him. He lifted his face from where it was pressed against Castiel's shoulder where he had been kissing. He stared into the face that meant more to him than anything else. Nothing mattered except for that perfect face, those beautiful blue eyes, and the mind and, well, not soul, but grace, behind that flawless face.

When Dean was finished he pulled his hand out from Castiel's now ruined pants. They stepped apart, and Dean felt as if his own soul was being torn apart. Castiel sat down on the bed, and seeing him across the room, so far away, was so painful. Dean felt as if knives were tearing at his soul. The space between them was too far. Castiel patted the space on the bed beside him. Dean hurried to sit down beside him.

"Dean, what you are feeling, it is not real."

"What?"

"I believe some form of magic is being worked on you. I know you Dean, and you aren't behaving as yourself."

"Cass, what are you talking about? Do you mean because I'm not being a dick to you? I'm sorry man, about all of the things I've ever said to you that were rude. I'm sorry for all of the times I've made fun of you, and called you a baby in a trench coat, and for getting angry at you when you tried to take over the world as God. I should have understood that you were really trying to save the world from Raphael. You were in the right, not me. You should have kept things from me, that was the right call. In fact, I've never been right, in anything we've ever disagreed on. I see it now, Cass, you are always right about everything. Not me, you. So I am so sorry."

Dean felt the tears coming. Castiel would not forgive him. How could he? Dean was just now realizing the perfection of Castiel. How could Cass forgive him for that? How could Cass forgive him for any of it, for not being there when Castiel was dealing with a war in Heaven, and for making Cass always wait for him. He could hear the sound of Cass' voice echoing in his head: "I'll just wait here, then." How often had he made Castiel wait for him? He wasn't even good enough for Castiel. No one was. Hot tears were rolling down his cheeks.

"Dean, please don't cry." Castiel wrapped a comforting arm around Dean's shoulder. Dean lay his head on Castiel's shoulder. So, Cass was the one comforting him. In what world was that fair?

"Cass, I'm sorry," his voice broke as he sobbed.

"Dean, its fine. That is not even what I meant. I was referring more to the way that you were treating Sam, and Charlie."

"You didn't like the way I was treating them?"

"You tried to blow your brother up with a firecracker, Dean."

"It wouldn't have really blown him up. It would have just injured him, and maybe blown up his ass. Whatever, that's an unfair advantage to him with chicks anyway, we'd all be better off if he didn't have it." Dean chuckled a little, wiping away the tears on his face. He lifted his face to look at Cass.

"Dean." Castiel was glaring at him.

"Not that I care about chicks anymore!"

"You." Cass said flatly. "You no longer care about beautiful females." It was not a question, more of a skeptical statement.

"I don't, Cass. Women disgust me. I hate them. I hate everyone except for you."

"I see." Cass looked at a loss. "Well, Dean, if you want to make me happy-"

"I do!" Dean interrupted. "I would do anything for you, Cass, man. I would do anything to make you happy. Whatever you want."

"I see. Well, Dean, what I really want, is for you to not hate everyone except for me."

"Done. I love everyone. People are great."

"OK then," Cass said. "Now, I want you to continue to help us solve this case."

"I will, of course!"

"Right," Cass said. "So if I call Sam and Charlie back to us, do you promise not to harm them?"

"Done."

"Do you promise to continue to help research, and investigate, and not attempt to in any way shape or form hurt your brother or friend?"

"Oh, I promise!" Dean said, nodding vigorously.

"Alright," Cass said. "I am going to go and tell them that they may return to us and share the information they have gathered. I am not leaving you. They are not taking me away. As soon as I have spoken to them, I will return."

"Wait!" Dean said.

"Yes, Dean?"

"First, lets have some alone time. Remember, they said that was why they were leaving?" Castiel stared at him. He looked almost guilty for some unfathomable reason. Dean could not imagine Cass ever having a reason to be guilty. Castiel was perfect. He had never, and could never do anything wrong, ever.

Castiel looked guilty, but he also looked like he was going to give in and agree to spend some quality alone time. Dean smiled, leaned in. He pressed his lips against Castiel's. Cass hesitated, and sat stiffly for a moment. Dean pressed harder with his mouth, moving his lips hungrily.

Together they lay down on the bed, facing one another and kissing. Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel's waist. He grabbed the angel's ass, and shoved Castiel closer to him. He felt up and down Castiel's body, feeling him, tasting him.

"Dean..."

"What's wrong?" It was like there was something Castiel wanted to tell him.

"Nothing." Cass kissed Dean's face, his neck, he pulled off Dean's shirt, and kissed Dean's chest. Dean dug his nails into Castiel's skin as he reached beneath Cass' clothes. He felt how hot Cass' skin was, and how his muscles flexed, and how he breathed heavily against Dean.

Castiel unzipped Dean's pants, and Dean helped pull his pants down. The fabric between them was like a wall. Nothing should come between them, not ever. Son of a bitch, he was in love, and nothing could get in his way damn it. Dean moaned as Cass' lips made their way down his torso. He could still taste Cass on his lips, like honey and warmth, and comfort. He gasped, his breath hitching and his back arching. He needed this so much.

"I love you," Dean murmured. "I need you."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Hey super fans, as always, thanks for reading XD I really appreciate everyone who has helped support me, especially the writer who gave me the prompt, and has been helping me with the story. Remember to check out her page, her name is ThePoisonedOne. Be sure to check out her page, especially if you like Destiel. I also wanted to do a little shameless self promotion: I got a tumblr! My name is captain13swan666 and it would really mean the world to me if anyone followed me. I haven't yet, but I will be posting one-shot fan fictions, and maybe sometimes short videos, mostly about Supernatural, but sometimes Sherlock, Once Upon a Time, and maybe a few other fandoms. I WILL follow you back! If I accidentally don't, feel free to PM me on this cite and harass me to do so! Remember, reviews really mean a lot to me. OK, thanks again for reading this story, and especially for the support I've had. I'm done blathering now, I hope you liked this rather smutty chapter ;)


	12. Crazy in love

**Chapter 12: Crazy in love**

**(Charlie's Perspective)**

"So, you say that you two fell in love despite the odds, and despite the fact that he was in love with someone else first?" Sam asked. Charlie narrowed her eyes at the girl sitting across from them in the diner who had these wide brown eyes that were way too innocent. There was definitely something off about this chick. Of course, the knowledge that the man she proclaimed to love had slaughtered his previous girlfriend with a kitchen knife might have contributed to the creep factor.

"Delores, did you ever tell him to kill his girlfriend, even if you were joking, or just maybe implying it?" Charlie asked point blank, because it seemed to her that Sam was just kind of skipping around the point.

"What?" Delores flipped back her dark brown hair, and pouted her lips in disgust at the idea. "No! Sarah was a sweet girl. I had nothing at all against her. I just wanted her out of our lives, thats all I said." She started tearing up. "I _never_ guessed that he would...that he would..." she was overcome with sobs. Sam and Charlie exchanged a look. Other customers in the diner were starting to stare at their booth as Delores covered her face in her hands, gasping for air.

"Just please calm down, ma'am," Sam said. He placed a hand on Delores' shoulder, and she looked up slowly, meeting his eyes. Charlie resisted the urge to give Sam a small smile. His signature puppy eyes never failed. "So you told him you wanted her out of your lives, and he interpreted it differently than how you meant." Delores nodded, gazing up at him sadly.

"Can you tell us anything else?" Charlie asked. "Anything at all about how you met, and why he fell in love with you." Delores paused, looking around nervously. _Jack pot,_ thought Charlie.

"Well..." Delores bit at her lip and wiped her eye with a manicured hand. "I spoke to a lady in a bar a little before we fell in love. I told her I had seen him around, and that I had a bit of a crush. This lady said she was a Wiccan, and that she had this love potion that would help boost someone's feelings for me, and help them realize what they were feeling." Sam and Charlie met one another's eyes briefly.

"What did she look like?" Sam urged.

"She was pretty. Blonde. She had a body," Delores said. "I don't know. I don't really put any stock into that kind of thing, but I thought, hey, it can't hurt, can it? So, yeah, I put a little bit of it in his drink one day. It was stupid, and childish, but I don't see how it's important." she was looking at them desperately, as if she wanted them to assure her that no, taking a strange vial of an unknown contents and putting it in someone's drink couldn't hurt a thing.

"Right," Sam said. "Well I think that's all we'll need. Thank you for your time." He and Charlie got up to leave. As Charlie was following Sam to the counter to pay for their sodas, Delores grabbed her wrist. What could this crazy bitch want now?

"Wait!" Delores said. Charlie sighed, and looked down at her, trying not to glare, trying to remember that this girl really probably had not meant any harm. "Haven't you ever been in love?"

"What?" Charlie asked, trying to tug her wrist out of Delores' clasp.

"Haven't you ever just wanted someone so bad you would try just about anything?"

"Nope," Charlie said. Delores met her eyes and sighed, finally releasing her iron grip on Charlie's wrist. "Peace out," Charlie said, hurrying after Sam, and trying not to think to hard about what had come to mind when Delores asked her that stupid question.

She hurried after Sam through the cold parking lot, climbing into the passenger seat. The February wind whipped her bright red hair into her face as she slammed the door. Charlie had never been in love. Hell, she had never even been in a relationship long enough to know what love was. She was always changing her identity, and hiding, and moving around. The only people she had come to love were her friends, and that was different. She loved Sam and Dean, and even Cass because of what he meant to them. That was the closest thing she knew to love, and it was a lot different then being i_n love. _

So why did a certain fairy she had only met once come to mind when she was asked if she had ever been in love? She had literally made out with Gilda once. Sure, she had been a fairy, and she had been hot, and nice, and a damsel in distress, but Charlie had barely known her. Still, she wanted to swoon when she thought about Gilda's soft brown hair, and wide, innocent eyes, and how it felt to press their lips together. She had really felt like a hero when she saved Gilda from being under the control of a psycho nerd. She had felt the way that had always wanted to: She had felt like the hero of one of her favorite books, like Frodo when the ring was finally destroyed, or Harry Potter when he at last truly defeated Voldemort. It was silly, because now she was a hunter, and she could rescue damsels in distress all the time, but that little adventure had really meant a lot to her for some reason.

"Hey, earth to Charlie," Sam said. She blinked, and looked up at him. "We're at the hotel," he said. "I'm thinking I should go ahead and call Dean's cell before we go in." He chuckled, and Charlie raised her eyebrows at him. "Oh come on," he said. "Its just a little bit funny."

"The fact that your brother has completely lost his mind?" Charlie asked.

"Well, no, but, I mean, the funny thing is, I'm pretty sure this would have happened eventually anyway. Maybe in the long run this will have been a good thing for Dean. Once he gets back to himself, of course. I just want my brother to have what he deserves, you know. Someone who will always look out for him." Charlie punched Sam playfully on the arm.

"God you're a sap, Sammy," she teased. He rolled his eyes.

"A sap, or a great little brother?" he countered.

"How about you're both?" Charlie resigned. He smiled.

"I'll take it," he said. Charlie tried to pull her head out of the clouds as Sam dialed Dean's number. This case was important, she couldn't be lost in old memories that couldn't she couldn't allow to mean anything to her anymore. After all, even if she did have feelings for Gilda, and that was a big i_f,_ she was never going to see the fairy again. They belonged to different worlds. She was a human, and Gilda was a fairy, and that was the end of it, she couldn't ask Gilda to stay in this terrible human world. Hell, even if she wanted to, there was no way to talk to her.

So, Charlie made herself think about their meeting with Delores. They had definitely learned a lot. So, this had to do with a love potion. Charlie knew from the Carver Edlund books the kind of results that misguided idiots giving out love potions could have. Even though this was a serious case, Charlie wanted to giggle remembering reading about Sam almost marrying a stalker fan girl thanks to a love potion. This time a pretty blonde girl was giving them out. Maybe it was a crossroads demon. Or maybe it was a witch. A sudden realization made Charlie sit up straight, and turn to Sam with wide eyes, waiting for him to get off the phone. He was in the middle of an argument with Dean about whether or not they could come in. It seemed Dean thought he needed a bit more "alone time" with Cass.

The other day at the bar Charlie had talked to a pretty blonde girl. She had talked to a pretty blonde girl who seemed very interested in hooking two people up. Oh shit. That girl had talked to Castiel. Charlie had almost forgotten about this insignificant seeming instance, having seen two crazy bitches run a man over with a car right after it. Of course, she realized now that the two things were probably related. Whoever this woman was, she had probably talked to the two girls as well. Sam slammed his phone shut and turned to Charlie.

"Well, we've agreed on twenty more minutes, though I don't know, I'm sure he'll want another twenty after that." Sam shook his head.

"That might be OK," Charlie said. "We might need more time than that anyway." Sam looked at her with a question in his eyes. "Sam, we need to talk to those girls who killed that guy in the parking lot."

"I agree," Sam said.

"But Sam, I think I just figured something out. This girl that Delores talked to, I, um, I might have talked to her too. Also," her voice grew small as she explained the next part. "I think Castiel may have talked to her too."

"Oh." Sam said. "OH." He nodded. "Well, lets go find out if these crazy girls you guys saw at the bar talked to her too." Charlie nodded as Sam turned the key in the ignition.

"What about Dean and Cass?" Charlie asked as they pulled out.

"I'll call Cass and get him to try and convince Dean, and maybe they can meet up with us at the jail. You ready to use that fake FBI badge again?" Charlie nodded. She pulled the badge out of her pocket, and held it up confidently. It read "Agent Rowling."

"Let's go talk to some psycho man killing bitches," Charlie said. Sam nodded.

"Just another day with team free will," Sam said. Charlie smiled a little sadly as she replied to him in a soft voice.

"Good times."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **  
Hello wonderful awesome readers! Sorry it took so long to update, and thanks so much for your support, as always. Don't forget to check out ThePoisonedOne, she is awesome. Sorry I don't do lists of all the reviewers like some authors, but I do always always always read the reviews, and I do my very best to reply. I know I've said this a lot, but reviews really do mean so much to me, whenever I see a new one I get so happy! Let me know what you all are thinking, what you like, what you don't like, and what you would like to see. Thanks again to everyone following, and everyone who has favorited and/or reviewed already, y'all are awesome!


	13. He's my cherry pie

**Chapter 13: He's my cherry pie**

**(Dean's Perspective)**

**Author's Note:** Hello lovely reader's, I will try to keep this brief, but I just wanted to update y'all about updates. I am sorry, but things are getting busy so I'm thinking I will update once or twice a week starting now. Happy late Valentine's Day, I hope everyone had a nice one. Thanks so much for all the support, be sure to check out **ThePoisonedOne.** Please, please, please review :)

* * *

"So, they talked to creepy blonde chick too?" Dean asked. He was trying his damndest to stay focused on the case, because Castiel had asked him too. Sam nodded from across the booth.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" asked the waitress, leaning over their booth. Her button up shirt was unbuttoned a bit too far, and Dean noticed her smiling too wide at Cass. He glared at her, and leaned over to kiss Cass hard on the lips.

Cass made a muffled noise, having been in the middle of a bite of burger. Dean shoved his lips into the angel's for another second before pulling away and shooting a smug smirk at the waitress, who was biting her lip.

"I'll have some pie," he said after a moment of staring her down. "I'll have some Cherry pie." Dean kissed the side of Castiel's jaw as he said it. The waitress nodded weakly, and hurried away. Cass swallowed his burger loudly. Sam and Charlie were purposefully gazing up at the ceiling.

"Yeah," Sam said after a moment. "Yeah, these two girls talked to the same girl that the guy who killed Sarah talked to."

"The same girl I saw in the bar the other night," Charlie added. She shot a meaningful glance at Castiel. He wouldn't meet her eyes. What the hell? Dean was very interested to know what those two were hiding, but before he could open his mouth to ask, Sam was talking again.

"So, what are we thinking, demon deal?" Sam asked.

"No," Castiel said. "I spoke to this woman as well, and she was not a demon. She was a human."

"Cass, are you sure?" Sam asked. Castiel nodded.

"Yes."

"Do you think she might have been a witch?" Sam asked. This was actually pretty smart. This thought had not occurred to Dean.

"Man I hate freaking witches," he muttered.

"Well, at least we're getting somewhere," Charlie said. "That actually makes sense. She probably was a witch, and we already kind of know what she wants. The way she was talking made it pretty clear she was interested in hooking people up. So I guess now the real question is why."

They all sat in silence for a few seconds, considering that one. Why would anyone want to cause so much chaos? Dean remembered the bar the other night, how everyone had been all over each other. Maybe this witch was horny and wanted to start a town wide orgy or something. These poor townspeople were falling victim one after the other. They were lucky they were all hunters, and far too badass to fall victim to this slutty witch's love spell. That would just be embarrassing, plus if it happened to him, it might compromise this new thing he had with Cass.

Dean had felt something powerful for Castiel from the moment he laid eyes on the angel. That deep gravelly voice, those wide blue eyes, that face that was a sculptor's dream, that model body. Dean was staring at Castiel, having completely forgotten what he was supposed to be thinking about, as well as Charlie and his little brother's presence.

"Dean?" God Castiel's voice was sexy, gruff and strong, and commanding.

"Yeah?"

"Your um, your hand is um," Cass stuttered, unable to finish the sentence. Dean glanced down at the bench they were sharing, and noticed his fingers were digging into Castiel's inner thigh. He nodded, and slowly moved his hand away.

"Right," he said. "Sorry." Sam coughed loudly, and Charlie made a soft, high pitch noise. Oh whatever, Dean thought.

Charlie had no right to get all high and might. After all, she was as obsessed with sex as anyone. She was always checking out chicks everywhere they went. He turned to her to say so, or at least shoot her an annoyed glance.

Dean was surprised to see that his red headed best friend was not even looking at him. She was looking away, towards someone making their way towards the booth. It took Dean a moment to recognize their visitor. When Charlie spoke, he remembered where he had seen her before, though, and why Charlie looked as if she were seeing a ghost.

"Gilda?"


	14. Hindsight

**Chapter 14: Hindsight**

**(Castiel's Perspective)**

"Hello, Charlie. Can I talk to you?" the stranger asked in a hesitant, soft voice. Charlie just nodded with wide eyes. It seemed she was unable to take her eyes off of the pretty female standing before them. Castiel could sense that this woman was not a human. He narrowed his eyes, staring at her nearly as hard as Charlie. Her aura did not belong to this world. She was a fairy.

"Yes," Charlie managed in a squeaky voice. She was smiling so widely it made Castiel want to smile as well. She looked so happy, like she was seeing the source of all light and happiness. Her face reminded Cass of something which he could not really place.

Charlie stood, and hurried after the fairy. Sam, Dean, and Castiel watched the two women leave the diner, or rather, Sam and Castiel watched. Dean was watching Castiel. That seemed to be the way things were going lately. Cass turned to Dean and gave him a small, sad smile.

Dean grinned back, and Castiel realized just what it was that Charlie's glee had reminded him of. It was the way that he felt when he was around Dean. Of course, Dean would claim to feel the same about Cass right now, but that didn't mean very much. It could not mean very much because it was not real.

Cass had fallen for the same manipulation that so many humans had fallen for in this town. How foolish he felt. Sam and Charlie must hate him for his idiocy, and surely Dean would hate him as well when he realized the truth. He hated himself for what he had done.

Of course he felt horrible for manipulating Dean, but it was so much worse than that. He saw the truth now with painful clarity. His experiences on earth seemed to be that way. It was easy to see how awful a mistake was only once it was made. He saw what he had done, and what he had ruined now, yes he saw it perfectly, because there was one part of this that was not fake. He really was in love with Dean Winchester, and now he had ruined any chance he had ever had of Dean feeling the same.

Maybe it was for the best. Maybe this was the closest he could ever hope to come to having Dean for his own. True love belonged to humans, to humanity, and he was an angel, and he could not have it for himself. He couldn't believe he had ever thought he could have it.

Now he would lose Dean even as a friend when this was all over. How could Dean forgive him for this? How could anyone? He would probably never see the Winchesters again once they had solved this case and Dean was back to normal.

"Was that...Gilda?" Sam asked, interrupting Castiel's painful reverie.

"Yeah, I think it was," Dean replied. He was distracted by stroking Castiel's hand under the table, but Cass could tell he was genuinely stumped by the strange female that he himself had almost forgotten already.

"How did she get back here?" Sam wondered.

"Who knows," Dean replied, becoming more and more distracted by his hand's activity beneath the table.

"Do you think it could have anything to do with what's been going on lately?" Sam asked.

"It is obvious that people are being drawn to those they are attracted to around here," Castiel said. "I mean more than usual. Perhaps there is more than just the love potion causing people to behave particularly um..." he trailed off, not sure exactly what word he was looking for.

"Horny?" Sam suggested with a snort.

"I...um...yes?" Castiel said. Sam and Dean were chuckling, and Cass felt his face growing warm. He coughed pointedly. "Moving on," Cass said gruffly. "Do you suppose that something more is going on?"

"More than this freaky witchy crap?" Dean asked. His hand had moved from Cass' hand to his inner thigh, and Cass gently pushed Dean's hand forward to his knee. As soon as Cass put his hand back on top of the table, Dean's hand was creeping forwards again.

"Yes," Castiel replied, sitting up stiffly, because he was feeling a bit stiff in more sense than one. "Or, at least, in a different form. It is possible the same suspect applies."

"Which reminds me," Sam said. "We need to find her."

"I agree," Castiel said, trying to hide the strain in his voice.

"I say we try the bar where you met her, Cass," Sam said. "Maybe you can help us look."

"Perhaps we should wait for Charlie?" Castiel suggested, looking for an excuse to sit down a moment longer, or at least whisper into Dean's ear and ask what he could do about this situation without drawing attention from Sam. He hadn't been in many relationships in his human vessel, and still was not sure how to deal with certain situations.

"Nah, she'll be awhile," Dean said with a chuckle. "I'm sure her and Gilda have a lot of catching up to do, if you know what I mean," he nudged Cass in the side, and Castiel did know what Dean meant, but he was growing steadily more annoyed.

"Dean!" he hissed into Dean's ear. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" He glanced down and Dean looked down as well, without any hint at subtlety, and laughed loudly. Sam coughed.

"Hey Sam, we'll catch up with you in a minute," Dean said. "Go ahead out and warm up the car." Sam rolled his eyes and hurried out.

"Dean, how do I-" Cass began, but Dean was already yanking Cass out of the booth and towards the men's restroom.

"Nice view," Cass heard a female voice say as he passed.

"Screw off slut," Dean muttered as he pulled Cass towards the bathroom. He wrapped his arms around Castiel's waist right before he opened the door, and spun him around so they were facing, their faces inches apart. "I can't deny that it was probably a nice view, though, hindsight's always twenty twenty when its you walking away Cass" Dean said in his deep voice that was doing the opposite of helping Castiel with his situation.

**Author's Note: **

Hello lovelies! I'm going to write a second part to this little scene, and WARNING ALERT: It is going to be super duper _smutty,_ sooo...that's happening ;) Just an fyi though, it won't contribute to the plot, so you do have the option of skipping that chapter if it would make you uncomfortable. I'm just explaining, of course I _do_ want people to read it. That's going to be my next chapter, and I'll be posting that tomorrow if all goes as planned (so no promises, but probably.) After that (probably tomorrow and possibly the next day) I'll do a very Charlie/Gilda centric chapter. Alright, please let me know what you all think of this chapter, and that plan. Let me know if you like it or not, or whatever. I always want to know what readers are thinking, so please please please let me know! A special thank you/shout out for **Oneofthepoisoned. **Her username used to be ThePoisonedOne, so yeah, it's different now! I've recommended her before, but now she has a new username. OK peace out, stay gay, love y'all XD


	15. Bad Touch

**Chapter 15: Bad Touch**

**(Dean's Perspective)**

**Important Warning:** This chapter is kinda (OK, OK! Fine, totally!) just soft core gay porn. Just to let y'all know. You can skip it if you aren't into that, it doesn't contribute to the plot. I promise more plot _is_ on the way, but I kinda couldn't resist doing this! Oh, and fyi for anyone interested, I called it "Bad Touch" 'cause I was listening to that song on repeat while writing this XD Disclaimer: That song belongs to the hilarious band "The Bloodhound Gang" and sadly, not to me. Don't forget to check out Oneofthepoisoned she is a truly great writer, and does not rely on smut to make her writing interesting like _some_ people. I mean, what? I don't do that...But seriously y'all, if your looking for a great Dean/Castiel story with an awesome plot, that is beautifully written, check her out.

_Alrighty, without further ado...__If you are into it...Enjoy! ;)_

Dean pressed his lips against Castiel's with a force he hadn't known he was capable of before as he shoved the angel into the bathroom. He thanked God that the bathroom was one room with a lock, then realized how weird that was, and stopped himself from thinking too hard about that one. He had other hard things to focus on.

He shoved Cass against the wall, his hands hot on Castiel's chest. Cass was gasping for air, but Dean shoved his tongue into his angel's mouth, and moved it along the rim of Cass' lips. He thrust his hips against Cass', and allowed himself to bask in the smell of Castiel's sweat, and breath, and skin. He didn't normally kiss with his eyes open, but kissing with Cass wasn't exactly normal. He loved gazing into those infinite blue eyes, like an abyss that he could sink blissfully into, like the sky, like freedom, and safety all at once.

Castiel was obviously inexperienced, and Dean loved it, he loved the way Cass moved his hot tongue against Dean's with so much uncertainty, and looked at Dean with a little bit of fear and a lot of excitement on his face. Dean finally pulled their lips apart, and kissed down Castiel's jaw. He needed this so much. He had always cared about Castiel so much, he had always wanted this, and now that he was finally getting what he wanted, he wasn't sure he would ever be able to stop.

Dean kissed the side of Castiel's jaw, allowing his tongue to brush the stubble, and moved his lips very slow and hot down to Cass' neck. He nuzzled his face into Cass' neck, and breathed him in, allowing his hands to wander over Castiel's abs, and around his waistline. He was amazed at how hard Castiel's body was, how firm. Damn Cass had picked the right vessel. Dean had a feeling he would be desperately attracted to any vessel with Castiel in it though.

He fumbled with the button on Cass' pants at the same time as he pressed his lips to Castiel's neck. Damn, he hadn't given a hickey in freaking years. Castiel's skin was soft and wet in his mouth, and he loved it. He loved Cass so much, everything with him was so new and different, and not just because Cass was in a guy's vessel. No, it was so much more than that. Castiel had done so much for him, and they had been through so much together, through literally Hell. He had never felt this way before.

He had never been so in love. Lately it was so intense he could hardly even deal with it, but it had always been powerful. The two of them had been undressing each other with their eyes for years now. Dean unzipped Castiel's pants, and they fell to the ground. He pressed his denim waist towards Castiel, pressing against him hard so that their dicks rubbed together through the fabric. Their bodies were smashed together, and it didn't matter that they were in a men's bathroom in a diner, they could have been anywhere, and it would have been hot, because of the way they were looking at each other, like they were the only two people in the world. Dean shoved his waist into Castiel's loving the feeling of their thighs touching, of his denim jeans against Castiel's bare legs. He finally bent down and pulled down Cass' underwear.

Dean pressed his hands against Castiel's inner thighs, as he leaned in. Cass was pressed against the bathroom door panting. He made a sound of contentment as Dean leaned forward, pressing his lips against Cass' thighs, teasing him. Cass wound his fingers in Dean's hair, and Dean moved his hands around so that they were gripping Castiel's ass tight. He finally wrapped his lips around Castiel's dick, swallowing slowly. This was new to him, and sort of hard in more ways than one, but he could hear Cass moaning in his deep gravelly voice, and feel Cass' hands in his hair, pressing his head forward, so he kept it up. Castiel was rocking into him fast.  
After several minutes Dean tasted that it was over, and gasping, pulled his head away, and smiled up at Cass, panting as he caught his breath. His throat felt dry, but the look of satisfaction on Castiel's face made it so worth it. Damn he had it bad. Dean had never wanted so desperately to please anyone. He had always been so confident, but now he was so unsure, and he had no clue how to deal with it. He stood up, his knees shaking a bit, wiping his mouth. He pressed his lips to Castiel's again before watching as Cass pulled up his underwear, than his pants, zipping them slowly. Dean didn't understand why Castiel's face was fading from happy and satisfied to a little sad, but the words that came from the angel next made him fill with a warm feeling somewhere deep inside either way.

"I love you so much, Dean," Castiel whispered, kissing him one last time on the lips before they turned to leave the bathroom.


	16. Heroes and Villains

**Chapter 16: Heroes and Villains **

**(Charlie's Perspective)**

It was silent for a few minutes as Charlie and Gilda walked down the sidewalk, not really heading in any particular direction. Snow was drifting down around them, and Charlie hugged herself, shivering a little. She had no idea what to say first. She had the feeling that whatever words she chose, they would be important.

"I um...So...What are you doing here?" she blurted out, immediately feeling like an idiot. The cold was stinging her skin so much.

"I'm not certain," Gilda replied. She was wearing a thin pale green dress that didn't look very warm, but she kept walking all upright and stiff, as if she wasn't sure how to react to the cold.

"Here," Charlie said. She pulled off the jacket she was wearing, and handed it to Gilda who gratefully put it on over her exposed tan arms. "I guess fairy world doesn't get very cold, huh?" she asked.

"No, the Hollow Forest of Arkhmoor almost always has fair weather," Gilda said in a soft, almost wistful voice.

"So, what happened? Did someone summon you to our world again?" Charlie asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I can't understand it. I simply woke up in the lobby of this motel, and the person behind the desk was yelling at me, and a group of men were laughing, and I didn't really like the way they were looking at me either." Gilda poured all of this out in a bout of emotion, before looking towards Charlie with something like shame.

An icy breeze had pushed some of Gilda's long, thick dark brown hair into her face. Charlie stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk, no one was around anyway. She turned towards the beautiful fairy, and softly brushed a bit of hair away from her face, allowing herself to look into the fairy's confused and frightened face. They met one another's eyes for a moment, and Gilda ran a hand through Charlie's bright red hair.

"I'm so sorry," Charlie said. "This world...Not so much with the welcoming thing."

"You are, though," Gilda said. Her voice was like silk, it made Charlie's heart flutter in her chest. "You've been so kind to me Charlie, always."

"I..."

_I love you. _

The words were whispered in Charlie's head the way that she knew they must have echoed around in John Watson and Sherlock Holmes' heads all the time. Or well, at least that went for the newer BBC version of Sherlock. In the books, well, huh, maybe you could say the same thing. Damn it, she realized, I'm getting off track again. This wasn't a book series, or a movie. This was not a television series ship, this was life. She was looking into the eyes of a beautiful fairy who she had once rescued from being controlled by an awful villain, and she had to think of something good to say.

Charlie was lost in Gilda's sweet, almost innocent, brown eyes, in her lips pouted out in an almost pleading way, and in her perfect, fragile figure, barely concealed by the dress and Charlie's jacket which remained unzipped. She found herself just gazing away, her mouth might have even been slightly open, although she tried not to think about that later. Shit it was hard to think of something comforting to say when she was still so much in shock.

"Is this real life?" Charlie finally murmured.

"I've been asking myself the same thing," Gilda seemed to shake herself from a sort of trance, and they both started walking again. It was lucky no one had come down the sidewalk during those moments of intimate staring, because the two of them might have looked a little crazy, just stopped there, staring."

They walked in silence for some time more, and Charlie thought about when she had last seen the fairy. It had been when she saved her. When she got to life out her fantasy of rescuing a damsel in distress. She knew that Gilda must be terrified now, and probably missing her home. There was something awful that kept overwhelming Charlie though, and begging to come to the surface. She was horribly, unfairly, happy. She was happy to see Gilda again. Not that the fairy ever had to know that. She would probably hate Charlie for that. After all, she had been ripped from freaking fairy world and sent to this shit hole of a universe where hotel managers yelled, and groups of men laughed and oggled

"Here," Charlie said, spotting a bench on the side of the sidewalk. She took Gilda's hand, and led her over to it. "Let's sit. Gilda sat down on the wooden bench beside Charlie, so that the fabric of her dress almost touched Charlie's jeans. They sat for a moment, glancing from one another, to somewhere else every few seconds.

As they sat there in the cold, as the snow speckled both of their clothes and hair with bits of white, Charlie was all too aware of Gilda's warm hand clasped in her own. She smiled a little, turning to look at the lovely fairy again, resisting the urge to swoon at the sight of her pretty face, her dimples, her wavy hair. Gilda was looking at her as well, and there was a slight smile on her own lips.

Charlie leaned in, and pressed her lips to Gilda's. The fairy pressed her lips back, and they leaned into the gentle motion together, Charlie moving her lips slowly against Gilda's. She wrapped her arms around Gilda's neck, and leaned in so that their bodies were pressed together, and Charlie could feel Gilda's perfect frame against her. Gilda was slight, but that wasn't to say she didn't have curves, Charlie gasped as they moulded to one another as if it were the most natural thing int he world. She brushed the back of Gilda's neck, and Gilda gasped. Charlie pulled away in surprise.

"Sorry," Gilda giggled a bit. "Your hands are very cold." Charlie felt a wave of relief wash over her.

"Oh," she said. "Yeah. Maybe we should go back to the hotel." She realized after she said it the implications that went with her words. Gilda looked at her with wide eyes, and it was impossible to say whether or not she too understood. That wasn't what Charlie had meant, though.

Of course she wanted Gilda. She wanted to feel her, to brush her hands over every part of her perfect body, to kiss her and hold her in her arms, and keep her safe. That wasn't the reason she wanted to go back to the hotel though. She was sure that Sam, Dean, and Cas were waiting to hear why Gilda was here, and it was important to figure that out. Besides, this case was important, and it was very possible that Gilda's sudden appearance related. So yeah, of course she wanted what she had accidentally implied, but she would never push for it, and the most important thing to her was finding a way to get Gilda back home. Even if it broke her hear to think about that, she would never wish for anything but Gilda's happiness and safety.

"Maybe we should," Gilda replied, and Charlie searched and failed to find any implications in her voice.

"My friends are probably there," Charlie said. "Sam, Dean, and Castiel."

"I met Sam and Dean once," Gilda remembered. "Or, I at least saw them. I've never met the angel though."

"How did you-?"

"Angels are powerful beings known in every dimension. They radiate power, especially when they're on a mission, or attempting something especially important. This one though, Castiel, his feelings are so intense I was overwhelmed by them when I found you in that place. Charlie did you know that he is controlling your friend Dean?"

"Do you mean the love potion?" Charlie asked. "Yeah, I know. It's not like he planned it. We'll figure it out." There was something in Gilda's eyes that was making her nervous. She was staring at Charlie with a new kind of intensity.

"Charlie, I owe you my life, and my freedom, as I'm sure you remember," Gilda said. "So I know that you are aware that I do know what it is like to be controlled, to not have a choice. I'm no angel, but I have some magic of my own. I'm telling you, the power over Dean Winchester is something dark, something frightening."

"Yeah, but Dean at least cared about Castiel before he ever drank the potion," Charlie said. "Besides, Cas would never hurt anyone, especially not Dean."

"Do you know that for certain? Has he never hurt anyone before?"

"What? No!" Memories of stories of the time when Castiel took over as God flashed through her mind, and she wondered if Gilda could read minds. She hoped not. She hated herself for hoping that, for wanting to hide things from Gilda, but Gilda didn't know Castiel.

Whatever he had accidentally given Dean had been just that, an accident. He would never hurt anyone, and he would never control Dean with something 'dark and frightening' as Gilda put it. Castiel would never control someone just for the sake of it, like the man who had controlled Gilda. Castiel was a hero, he was not a villain.

Either way, even if it was an accident on Cas' part, Dean had actually been far from himself lately. Charlie remembered how he had put a fire cracker on Sam's seat, how he had flipped out when Castiel left even for a few moments. Was Gilda right? Was Dean about to start acting dangerous?

No way, this was Dean. This was Dean Winchester, the hero, the righteous man. She couldn't help it. Memories of the times when Dean had been less than righteous flashed through her mind. She almost wished she had never read the Carver Edlund books because it was like reading a close friend's diary. She knew things about Dean, about what he had done in Hell, about the violent pleasure he sometimes took in hunting, about his deepest, darkest thoughts, that no one should know. No. Dean was her friend. He was one of the good guys, he was a hero, not a villain. This stupid potion had him acting crazy, but he would never hurt anyone or anything.

"We should go to the hotel," Charlie said again, neither of them having moved.

"Watch out for your friend, Charlie," Gilda said as they stood up.

"Right now I'm watching out for you," Charlie murmured. She turned towards Gilda, wrapping her hands around her slender waist and pressing their bodies close together so that their faces were inches apart. She looked into Gilda's face, and breathed in her skin, which smelled something like spring flowers, and kissed her soft lips.

"Thank you," Gilda whispered. "Thank you so much for being my hero Charlie."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I am so so so sorry for being late everyone! As always check out Oneofthepoisoned. Again, as always please let me know what you are all thinking. I apologize for saying before that this would be posted sooner than it was. I know my updating is sporadic, and I am really really sorry, and I just can't thank anyone who has been sticking with this story enough. Lots of love! Oh and I decided to call Castiel "Cas" as a nickname from now on. I guess it just makes more sense :) If I didn't do so somewhere in this chapter, sorry for the inconsistency. Well, sorry for the inconsistency either way I suppose. OK, I'm out. Peace.


	17. Cats

**Chapter 17**

**Cats**

**(Sam's Perspective)**

Sam was pacing the parking lot, waiting for his brother and the angel to follow him. He should have waited inside of the diner, he thought, as he noticed a few flakes of snow drifting down around him. It occurred to Sam that they might be awhile. He wrinkled his nose, trying not to think too hard about the reason for that, pun not intended. He ran a hand through his silky auburn hair, brushing the powdery snow away.

"Hey handsome," said a silky smooth female voice from behind him. He spun around to see who else was standing out in the cold, and gasped. It was a young woman, in a short hot pink dress with no sleeves.

The woman was giving him a somewhat sinister smile and stared at him with humor in her pretty green eyes. Her lips were painted blood red, and she had long, wavy blonde hair. Her dress clung tight to her perfect figure, which Sam tried to avoid looking over too much, because he had an idea who this was. He remembered the description of the mystery woman who had given out the love potions: Pretty, blonde, curvy. It was just too unlikely that this was a coincidence. Coincidences rarely happened to Winchesters.

"Hey," he said casually, trying to disguise his shock. He didn't want her to realize he was suspicious just yet.

"Hi," she said in a soft voice, approaching him. He found himself a bit lost in those bright eyes, which were gleaming with life and hope and excitement. He wondered how it was possible for her to not be freezing.

She walked towards him until they were standing only a few inches apart in the middle of the parking lot, which was empty except a few cars parked around them. She was so close. Sam felt similar to how he remembered feeling when he was under a love spell, and forced to be in love with his insane fan, Becky Rosen. The difference was, now it wasn't quite as intense, and it was really lust and not love. He was able to realize the influence she had on him, and get a bit of a grip on himself, no pun intended for what he would be doing later when he thought about her…No! He had to focus. This was a suspect!

"Hi," he repeated weakly back to her. This was not good. He needed some backup here, because he could feel himself getting lost in her beautiful face. She took another step towards him, and their bodies were pressed together.

"My name is Freya," she said, smiling with those bright red lips that he was so tempted to lean forwards and kiss. No, he had to stop. She was likely the reason his brother was going crazy, she was also probably behind a series of horrific murders. T

She leaned in, her lips so close to his, and he backed away at the last second because of the weirdest thing. He probably would have fallen right into this crazy witch's trap, or whatever she was, if it wasn't for the oddest thing that happened. Right before she kissed him, he smelled something he had been taught as a child to stay away from.

It was the smell of a cat. The smell was rather unpleasant, like an old ladies house, and a little bit like pee. He grimaced, taking a step back from her. As a kid, his dad and Dean had both scolded him to stay away from cats, and anyone who owned them because Dean was very allergic. It was one of the few things that Sam had been taught to avoid not because of anything supernaturally dangerous, but because of something that many people dealt with. Dean ended up all red faced and itchy whenever he went anywhere near a cat and usually sneezed and coughed for a bit afterwards.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking genuinely confused.  
"Do you have a cat by any chance?" Sam asked.

"I have two cats," she replied, looking a bit offended. It occurred to Sam for an instant that maybe she was just a very attractive, cat owning civilian. He brushed the thought away when she took another step towards him, and he felt that same feeling as before wash over him.

He wanted to make his way towards her, to hold her, to kiss her, to feel her body against his, and stroke his hands through her thick, blonde hair. She was beautiful, and her eyes were filled with desire as she stared at him. There was something other than lust there, though, and it made Sam nervous. There was something very predatory.

Think, Sam told himself. He had a rare opportunity here. She didn't know, or he hoped she didn't know, that he suspected her of anything other than underdressing for the cold and trying to kiss total strangers. The best thing would be if they could contain her for questioning, but he wasn't sure how he could possibly do that. No one was around for the moment, but that didn't mean that he could get away with just shoving an innocent looking woman into the Impala's trunk without anyone coming along and noticing. Besides, Dean had the keys. Damn it, he wished Dean would hurry up and get out here. Not to mention the fact that he could definitely use Castiel's help in this situation. If anything, Cas could zap them all back to the hotel room, creepy witch lady included.

"Sorry," he said. "Its just, my brother's allergic, so I try to stay away from cats."

"Does your brother control everything you do?" she asked.

"No, of course not," Sam said. He walked over towards the side of the diner, where the building cast dark shadows against the pavement, and it would be harder for anyone who might walk by on the sidewalk to see him.

He hoped he succeeded in looking like he was just casually walking about. It seemed like he must have, because Freya followed him eagerly, with a wide smile that revealed rather sharp looking teeth that were so white it almost hurt to look at them. He smiled back all the same.

"So it wouldn't kill your brother if you, kissed someone who happened to have cats, right?" she asked, brushing a hand along his arm. He avoided a shiver. She was both beautiful and creepy at the same time.

"No, I guess it wouldn't," Sam said, leaning towards her. He told himself that it was all to keep her distracted until Dean and Cas could come help, but he wasn't entirely convinced.

She pressed her lips to his, and he was lost. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and felt how perfect she was. Her lips tasted like something familiar. He recognized the smell and taste overcoming him, and realized that it was no longer like cats. No way. This was impossible. There was no way that he was feeling, and tasting, and smelling, what he thought he was. It must be his imagination, or a spell, or something. There was no way that he was tasting the chap-stick that Jess always used to wear, that he was smelling Jess' perfume. Jess was dead. He hadn't kissed her, hadn't seen her, in over ten years, because she was dead, she had been for so long. So this was impossible, he told himself. It was so impossible, except for that it was happening. It was like he was kissing Jess again, and he felt he could kiss her forever and hold her in his arms, and never ever let go again.

"Sammy, what the hell?" came Dean's indignant voice. Sam pulled himself away reluctantly, and he knew he couldn't conceal the thousands of emotions that were surely on his face. He did his best, but he couldn't keep back the tears building up behind his eyes.

Sam wiped his hand under his eyes before Dean could see the pain on his face, and the tears that were starting to dip down his cheeks. Crying while kissing a super hot chick, he would never live that down. He didn't feel like explaining what had happened either.

"Dean, its-" Sam began to explain, but stopped himself. Castiel came out of nowhere, and pinned Freya against the wall of the diner. So, apparently he wasn't the only one suspicious of her. Sam was relieved for more reason than one for Cas' sudden appearance. He had felt his voice crack when he spoke, and cleared his throat while no one was paying attention. The pain in his heart didn't leave though. He had felt so much as though he were really holding Jess in his arms, something he would never be able to do again.

"What are you?" Cas asked through gritted teeth. Sam saw a flicker of fear across Freya's face. He remembered for a moment when he had first met Castiel. He could be pretty intimidating when he wanted to be.

He had definitely scared Sam when he threatened him about drinking demon blood. Hell, only a few years ago the guy had taken over as God. Sam felt a hint of worry as he looked over and saw the obsessive lust in Dean's eyes as he watched Cas pinning Freya. He was worried about his big brother, but he trusted Cas. Didn't he? After all that they had been through, Cas had earned his trust time and time again. Besides, he would never hurt Dean, or intentionally enslave him. Right?

"I'm human!" Frey gasped as Cas' grip tightened over her shoulders. Sam felt uneasiness spreading over him as Castiel glared at the girl. Maybe she was just human. Perhaps the attraction Sam had felt towards her was natural, and her reminding him of Jess, maybe that was just a coincidence.

"I don't think so," Cas said in his low gravelly voice. He pressed her harder against the wall, and Sam saw bruises forming on her bare arms. Sam shifted a bit uncomfortably when he noticed the look in Dean's eye as he gazed at Castiel and Freya.

"I swear," Freya gasped. She looked really scared at this point. "What else would I be? What's wrong with you? Are you tripping or something?"

"Cas, maybe-" Sam began, but he was interrupted.

"No," Cas snapped, not taking his eyes off of Freya. "This is the female who gave me the concoction that did this," he nodded towards Dean.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked.

"Yes!" Cas snapped. "Do you really think I would harm an innocent human?" Sam looked into his friend's wide blue eyes for a moment, before Cas turned back towards Freya. He felt a wave of guilt wash over them.

Cas was their friend. He had proven many times over that he was trustworthy. He had helped them defeat their enemies, and he had been there as a friend. Sam was wrong to doubt him. Even if Cas should have known that love potions weren't a joke, weren't to be messed with…

"Alright," Sam said. He held up his hands as if in surrender, even though he wasn't the one slammed against the wall by an angel with super strength. "Alright. Look, lets take her back to the hotel and question her then." Cas nodded, and Sam felt a wave of dizziness.

The sound of massive feathered wings flapping filled the air, and there was a horrible moment of being compressed and spinning much too fast, and they were in the hotel room. Dean stumbled a bit, and Sam kneeled forward, breathing heavily. Freya, who was still being held by the shoulders by Castiel, was now sobbing.

Everyone froze though, when they took in the scene they had flashed into. Charlie and Gilda were both peering out from under the covers with wide eyes. Charlie was blushing so that her face was almost the same shade as her messy hair. Gilda's darker skin was flushed as well, and her deep brown hair was sticking up in every direction.

"Um, hi," Charlie said in a small voice. "I see you brought a guest," she shot Freya a sheepish grin. "I'm Charlie. This is Gilda."

"Freya," the blonde woman managed through her gasps, nodding towards Charlie. She pulled herself away from Castiel, glaring. She looked manically around at all of them. "So just what the hell is going on? How did I get here?"

The room was silent, as everyone waited for someone else to answer. Sam placed himself in front of the door incase Freya tried to bolt. She looked too shaken for that, though. Yet, she didn't look quite shaken up enough.

Sure, she was obviously afraid, and panicked, and confused. Still, she wasn't reacting the way Sam thought most people would if they were randomly flashed from a parking lot to a hotel room in a matter of seconds. Sam had watched many people discover the supernatural as a hunter, and he had seen many different reactions. Almost no one would be calm enough to actually stand there, questioning people, after being flashed from one place to another like that by an angel. Hell, it still freaked him and Dean out. So why was she just standing there, expecting an answer?

Sam narrowed his eyes at her, trying to figure her out. Was she faking this freak out? She did look scared, she really did. Still, Cas seemed certain that she had been the one who gave him the love potion. So, it seemed unlikely that she was completely unaware of the supernatural.

"What are you?" Castiel repeated, ignoring her question.

"What are you?" Freya retorted, almost like a small child. "You're the one who kidnapped me, and teleported me to a hotel!"

"I'm an angel of the lord," Cas replied in a calm but menacing voice that Sam recognized all too well. He had even had this tone used on him in the past. "What are you, and what did you do to my friend?"

"I feel fine!" Dean spoke up for the first time, grinning. Sam shook his head. Dean had really lost it.

"Dean?" Cas asked in an annoyed voice.

"Yes?" Dean asked eagerly.

"Do me a favor."

"Anything!"

"Shut up," Cas said, and turned back to Freya. It was a very normal thing for him to say to Dean. Sam, Dean, and Cas weren't overly sensitive, or women, and they did not act like it. Under normal circumstances, one of them saying shut up to another would have been no big deal.

These were not normal circumstances though. Sam saw the pain fill his big brother's eyes. Shit. He saw Cas realize his mistake. He had acted as he always would to Dean, and things weren't the way they always were. Dean's green eyes filled with tears, and Sam groaned internally.

"I'm sorry," Dean said in a choked voice, and hurried out of the room. Freya made a move to follow him, but Sam and Cas both blocked her way and shoved her back into the room.

"I'll go after him," Sam said. "You three deal with this." He glanced at Charlie and Gilda who were doing their best to keep the covers up to their chins. He was not sure how much help they would be to Cas, but he had to go after Dean.

After what the other victims of the love potion had done, it was not an option to let Dean go unsupervised. Sam hurried into the hall after his big brother, slamming the door behind him and hoping that Cas, Charlie, and Gilda could figure this one out. Dean was already out of sight.

"Damn it," Sam muttered as he ran down the hall, and down the stairs. He made his way into the lobby, and looked out the window. He thanked his few lucky stars that his legs were much longer than Dean's as he saw his big brother hurrying down the sidewalk outside.

The snow was drifting down over their shoulders, and making it hard to see. Sam spotted his brother's sandy hair and brown leather jacket turning a corner, and took off as fast as he could. Dean was making his way down a lonely street through the snow when Sam caught up to him and caught his arm.

"Dean, Cas didn't mean it!" he said.

"Right, yeah, I'm sure," Dean's voice broke. Sam sighed, grabbing Dean's shoulder and forcing his big brother to look at him.

"Dean, how many times have you told me to shut up?" Sam asked. "Seriously."

"That's not the-" Dean began.

"Just, how many times?" Sam repeated. He felt a surge of relief as Dean stopped walking, and they stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Fine," Dean said. "I've said it a lot of times."

"Well, you still love me right?" Sam asked.

"Sammy-"

"Well, don't you Dean?" Sam persisted.

"Of course I love you Sammy," Dean sighed. "You're my little brother. You know that. Why the hell are you acting like a chick about it?"

"Because you are, Dean!" Sam said. "Your acting like a chick. You think Cas likes that?" Dean started to answer, and Sam interrupted before this could turn into a discussion of Cas' somewhat fluid seeming sexuality. "You think he likes you freaking out over every little thing?"

"Well no," Dean sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with me Sammy. Lately I've been feeling so fucking weird, and not myself. I don't know," he shook his head, and leaned against a tree beside the sidewalk. Sam stood in front of Dean waiting for his big brother to continue. "I mean, maybe its because I've been waiting for this for so long. I really think this is real, and I have no idea why it took us so long to get to this point. I love him, I really do. Maybe that's why I've been acting so crazy lately, because I finally have what I've secretly wanted for years, and I'm afraid of losing it."

"What you've secretly wanted for years?" Sam asked in a soft voice. Dean wiped a tear away from his cheek as he nodded. Of course it was what Dean had secretly desired for years. It was so obvious now.

This wasn't the love potion talking, Sam could tell the difference. He knew his brother. He knew Dean better than anyone in the world, better maybe than Dean knew himself. Maybe the love potion was helping Dean be brave enough, or emotionally aware enough, to tell all of this to Sam. It wasn't the love potion that made what Dean was saying true.

"Yeah," Dean said. "It is. He's everything to me. I mean, not in the same way as you are of course. This is different. I'm in love with him. He's my hero. I just don't know what's wrong. I should be happier than I've ever been, but something is wrong. I feel so paranoid, and worried, and I don't know what's wrong. I know I should be happier because I've wanted to be with him for so long."

"You will be happy Dean," Sam said. "Hey, look at me." Dean looked up and met Sam's eyes. "Dean, I promise you we'll figure this out. You love him, and we'll figure this out, and you'll be happy, and it won't feel like this forever." Dean nodded, but he still looked like he was about to start crying. "Hey, come here," Sam said, and pulled Dean into his arms.

He hugged his brother tight, and he felt how tense Dean was. Dean shook a little bit, and Sam knew that it was with a sob, and he patted Dean's back. In that moment, Sam hated Freya, or whoever it was that had designed the love potion. He hated them so much more than he had even when he had seen the bodies of the victims of this horrible prank, or plot, whatever it was. Dean was hurt. So, this was personal. Sam clenched his teeth, and promised himself that he would find a way to kill whoever had done this.

**Author's Note: **

Thank you so much to everyone who was patient enough to wait for this chapter, you are amazing. Just so you all know, I read every single review. Twice. Sometimes. Three times. The support that I've received for this story has meant so much to me, so thanks to everyone who has been reading this. I would especially like to thank Oneofthepoisoned who has been amazingly helpful with creating this story. Of course she gave me the prompt that sparked it, and she's also helped me through the process, and is now my beta reader. She's an amazing writer too, so you should go follow her after leaving a review for this chapter ;) Thanks again for all of the support and patience. Hopefully I will be updating again soon.


	18. Hope

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _Hello lovely people! I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update. I've been a bit overwhelmed lately - my own fault. Anyway, I apologize for being so slow about updating. Shout out to my homegirl __**Oneofthepoisoned**__ for helping me so much with this story and being an inspiration to me as a writer and a person. Go check out her page for an amazing Destiel story which she is currently working on! I love reviews as always. Thanks to my ever patient followers, and welcome to any newcomers. Thank you for reading this story and I hope you all enjoy this chapter. _

Chapter 18

Hope

(Castiel's Perspective)

"Tell me what you did to my friend," Castiel stated in a flat voice. Charlie and Gilda had both put on some clothes, and were sitting together on the edge of the bed. Sam and Dean were sitting on the other bed, and Cas could tell that Dean was still upset. He couldn't believe he had forgotten even for a moment the state that Dean was in, and that he was too fragile to speak to harshly right now.

Sam and Dean had come back into the hotel room a few moments ago, snowflakes covering their hair. They had obviously been having an important talk. Cas had come to recognize the look in Sam and Dean's eyes when they came back from what he had heard Charlie explaining to Gilda as something called a "broment."

"I didn't do anything," Freya said innocently. "Please let me go." Doubt crossed Castiel's mind. What if this woman was really human, an innocent civilian? There had been a time when he wouldn't have cared. Before he had met the Winchesters everything had been about results. One human's suffering to fix a problem had meant nothing. Humans involved were an end to a means, or collateral damage at worst.

Dean and Sam Winchester had taught him that this was the wrong way to look at people. They had taught him that the important thing wasn't so much to hunt things, but to save people. He supposed that the other angels were right - he was in love, with humanity, with these strange creatures with their terrifying and confusing emotions. That wasn't right, though, was it? Humanity was a concept, and he loved it, but it was impossible to be in love with a concept. One had to be in love with another being. He wasn't so much in love with humanity as the person who embodied it to him, his best friend, Dean.

That was why he couldn't let this go on. There was a selfish part of him that loved the lustful way Dean was looking at him as he loomed over a terrified Freya. If he were in his right mind Dean would never be aroused by frightening a woman, no matter how suspicious she was. It was so much worse than that, of course. Dean would never be aroused by anything Castiel did, and after this he would probably never speak to Cas again.

"You can drop the act Freya," Gilda said, her voice implying a subtle threat. "I'm a fairy. I sensed who you really were as soon as I saw you. I assumed you would admit the truth to them on your own, but I suppose not."

"How could you sense who she was?" Cas asked in amazement. He was an angel, how was it that Gilda was picking up on things he wasn't?

"You're an angle, embodied with certain powers, sure. Yes, angles are some of the most powerful beings there are, important on every plane of existence, but you aren't the only kind of beings people have worshipped. Freya is the Norse Goddess of love. I suppose the Norse Gods and Goddesses were never considered worth noticing to the angles," Gilda sniffed, tossing her curly brown hair.

Charlie was watching Gilda with wide, smitten eyes. Castiel's breath caught as he realized that this must be the way he looked to others when he looked at Dean. Of course, once this was all sorted out he wouldn't have to worry about that because he would likely never see Dean again.

"Fine," Freya seemed to stand a little taller, and the fear vanished from her flashing green eyes. The pretty blonde Goddess sighed as if this were all some great inconvenience to her. "I suppose you've caught me. Yes, I am the Norse Goddess of love, and I'm sure as hunters," she said the last word scathingly, as if it were a curse, "you'll want to kill me."

"Give us one good reason not to," Sam said, standing. Even with Freya's very high heels, Sam towered over her. Cas remembered when he had first met Sam Winchester, and he had been amazed by how intimidating the man could be.

Watching Sam now, he thought of how far his friend had come. When Cas first met Sam, he had been repulsed, knowing that this man drank the blood of demons for power. The fear Sam induced then had been somehow wicked, and tainted. Now he was filled with determination to save his brother, and the others who had been harmed by the love Goddess.

It was a bit like Castiel's own journey in a way. Cas too, had once been a volatile being, if not in the same way. He had been a mindless, emotionless soldier, following the orders of corrupt angels who wanted to free the devil and cause Armageddon. Now he was also focused on curing Dean, and saving this town from Freya and whatever her plans were.

"I'll give you the best reason," Freya said in a voice that implied innocence. Cas, Sam, Charlie, and Gilda all exchanged a look. Cas didn't have to use any mind reading powers to know that not one of them bought Freya's act. "All I did was bring people love."

"I think that's a pretty good reason," Dean spoke for the first time. He spoke in a quiet voice that made everyone pause. "I mean, I don't know if Freya made me feel like this or not but I know I might have been too afraid to ever-" Dean's voice broke. Everyone was absolutely still, watching Dean trying to find his words. Cas was overwhelmed by a sense of nervous fear that felt amazingly human to him. "I mean, I've felt like this about Cas for years, and I just…." Dean took a deep breath. He wiped a tear away from his eye, and Cas wanted nothing more than to run to him and hold him in his arms, but now was not the moment for that, and he knew it. "I might have always held it in, and never said anything, because that's what I do. This potion, or spell, or whatever the hell it is, it forced me to admit how I felt." Dean bit his lip, and looked up at Cas slowly. "I'm in love with you Cas, and it isn't because of this potion, or anything. It's because of what you mean to me, and I might have never been brave enough to say that."

"Dean, I…" Cas was speechless. He wanted to say everything he had ever thought about how perfect Dean was, everything he had ever felt when he looked at Dean. No words would come. All he could do was stutter out four words. "I love you too Dean." They hurried across the room towards each other, and it was lucky that Sam was fast enough to block the door before Freya could take the opportunity to hurry out of the room.

Dean and Cas met and their lips pressed together, and Cas felt as if it were for the first time even though it was not because for the first time, he believed that Dean's feelings were real. He knew Dean Winchester well, and he really did believe that the always so stoic hunter would hide his feelings and say nothing. That did sound like something Dean would do, so maybe the last part of Dean's speech was true. Maybe he really was in love with Cas.

"Guys, this is touching and all," Charlie said, "But uh, we're kinda in the middle of something, remember? The case?"

"Right," Dean said. He pulled himself away from Cas, and they shared a look that felt very real, and not at as if it were forced by some potion. Castiel was sure he would regret this eventually, but he realized he was allowing himself to hope.

"You still caused people to kill the ones they loved," Castiel reminded Freya coldly.

"Those weren't the ones they truly loved, though!" Freya protested. "I'm the Goddess of love, what about that don't you people understand? I haven't been tearing apart love, or forcing it, or doing any of the things you're implying. I've only been helping people to realize how they truly feel. Some have kept it so bottled up that it caused them to be violent. I can feel it all round me, the way people deny their feelings, and I don't ever do anything about it. Oh sure, I'll make a match here or there, but I don't really push anything. I was minding my own business when you all showed up here, and I could feel the desire, the pain, the loneliness, overwhelming me."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sam asked. "Are you saying you can feel what other people are feeling?"

"When it comes to love, yes," Freya said. "When people are near me, I can feel everything they're feeling, at least as if applies to love, and most things do in the end. I can feel that you two," she nodded towards Sam and Dean. "Love each other more than anything in the world, but you have a very complex relationship, and it isn't always happy, real love never is. I could feel your yearning the moment you entered the bar I was in," Freya said. "Of course, my very presence increased it."

"What does that mean?" Charlie asked, crinkling her eyebrows.

"I don't have to give people a potion to make them desire love, to make them filled with the things they are already feeling to a new extent," Freya explained. "When I am nearby people breed like animals, they lose their shyness, their fear. Its beautiful."

"What do you mean you could feel my yearning?" Charlie insisted.

"I could tell that the one you loved was far away, that you thought you would never see her again," Freya nodded at Gilda, who looked shocked. "So I brought her back."

"You love me?" Gilda asked, staring at Charlie.

"Of course I love you," Charlie said with a nervous laugh. She wrapped her arms around Gilda's neck, and kissed the fairy for a moment before looking at her with expectant eyes filled with excitement and hope.

"I love you too," Gilda said. "My hero." The two kissed again, and it ended in a hug.

"You are the one who brought Gilda here?" Castiel asked Freya.

"I reunited her with her true love, someone she would have never seen again," Freya said. "Can't you see I'm helping people?"

"Maybe you are," Sam said. "In a way."

"You're taking away their free will, though," Cas said. He and Sam nodded at each other. He had known that was what the younger Winchester brother had been about to say. Free will was something they had fought for time and time again. It was the very thing that defined the human race in many ways.

"Maybe you are uniting people, but the way you're doing it is wrong," Sam said.

"Oh I know!" Freya burst out. "I know. Like I said, no one was getting hurt before you all came here."

"Yeah, back to that," Dean put in. "Why did us coming here change anything? Don't you feel people bottling up their emotions all the time? Why should we be any different?" Freya laughed, and it was like tinkling bells, but it was also somehow unsettling.

"How? Well there is the obvious, I suppose. You're hunters. There's so much under the surface, so much you bury with cheap drinks, unintelligent women, and the hope that maybe you've saved more people than have died as collateral damage. There is so much pain, and hurt that you never talk about. You've been through so much, and lost so many people, so many friends and lovers. I can feel that because it all relates back to your love for each other, your friends, and the people you save. It goes beyond that, though. Really, it was you that made me feel too much to handle, and start interfering more than I normally do," Freya said, pointing to Dean. "I could feel how much you loved the angel that chose you over Heaven, time and time again. I could feel that you were too afraid to ever act on your feelings, and I was overwhelmed because it is rare to find someone who loves someone else so much, and refuses to act on it."

"Dean," Sam said in amazement. "Why the hell were you so afraid?" Dean wouldn't look at his brother. Cas couldn't help but feel happy that Dean loved him so much. It was horrible that it had cause all of this pain, but all the same, it was starting to sound as if maybe things with Dean wouldn't be over when the potion was reversed. That thought was too good to be true, and definitely too hopeful to be thinking of when Freya was still standing there, not having reversed the potion yet. "

"I don't know, Sammy," Dean said. "I mean, I've always loved, you know, women. I thought you would think it was weird."

"Dean, after everything we've been through, after everything we've accepted about each other, you really think I would give a crap who you like having sex with? Besides, the fact that you're a bit, uh, undecided, when it comes to your sexuality has been obvious for years. I honestly didn't think it was a big secret."

"But Sammy, it's Cas. I thought that it would make things weird because it's always been the three of us against the world, and I don't know, I just thought, its Cas. What if he doesn't feel the same way?"

"Look man, I'm your brother," Sam said. "You should have told me. Besides, this is Cas we're talking about. You should have told him to."

"Like I said, I was afraid. The two of you are all I have. Losing one or both of you would be…" Dean trailed off. There was a moment of silence, and Cas decided to speak because he couldn't hold it in anymore. How could Dean have ever thought that Cas didn't love him? He had rebelled against Heaven for this man. Cas had learned to feel emotions for him. He had chosen Dean above all else more times than he could count. The moments they shared were the most meaningful Cas had ever had with anyone in his timeless existence.

"Dean," Cas said, touching Dean's face so that the hunter was forced to meet Cas' gaze. "I've loved you sense the first moment I saw your soul, even if I didn't always understand what love was." There were the words he had been searching for before. He kissed Dean once more, and Freya coughed. They pulled apart and turned back towards her.

"Like I said, I'm helping people," Freya said.  
"No, you aren't," Sam said. "Maybe you were before we came, but you aren't now. You're forcing them into obsession. You need to reverse the potion on my brother."

"He'll revert to the state he was in before," Freya warned. "He will be filled with fear, and uncertainty. Do you really want that?"

"Yes," Sam said. "Then we'll leave."

"What?" Charlie asked. Cas met her eyes, and shrugged. He had a feeling he knew what was coming though. He knew that anyone who could get Dean to stop pretending to be the emotional equivalent of a bedpost was probably not someone on Sam's kill list.

"We'll leave, and you can keep on helping people. You said that we were the reason you started to interfere more than usual, and make people become obsessed. If we leave, will you go back to whatever you were doing before?"

"Yes, of course!" Freya looked relieved. So maybe she really wasn't one of the bad guys. She had seemed very genuine in her desire to help people find love.

Cas was grateful to her in a way, although he realized how wrong this was. People were dead because of Freya. Yet, Dean had admitted his feelings because of Freya. So perhaps there were no heroes or villains in this case. Team free will was used to a life with monsters, and those who saved people from monsters. This time, Castiel himself had made a mistake, he had been selfish, and thoughtless, and he had made Dean lose his mind. Freya had been trying to help people find love, and the overwhelming feelings had been too much for her, and caused her to go overboard. So was either one of them a hero or a villain because of what they had done? Cas didn't really think so.

Freya leaned against the wall of the hotel, and closed her eyes. She smoothed her tight sleeveless dress, and began muttering under her breath in a language Cas had almost forgotten because it was so ancient even the angels rarely used it. A breeze filled the hotel room and within moments it became a powerful wind. Cas wrapped his arms around Dean, who was still standing beside him. Dean leaned into Cas' side, clinging onto the fabric of the trench coat. Charlie and Gilda were hugging. Sam was holding onto a bedpost, and watching his big brother apprehensively.

The wind howled in their ears. Freya's blonde hair was swirling around her face. Charlie's red hair was tangled with Gilda's brown curls, and Sam's long auburn locks were all over the place. Dean was clinging onto Cas' coat as if it were his lifeline, and Cas kept his arms tight around Dean's shoulders. The wind didn't fade away. It stopped. One moment it was like a tornado around them, and the next there was nothing. Freya opened her eyes, and looked around at all of them.

"I just reversed all of the love potions I've passed out. Now the town is back to normal, except maybe the people are a little bit more, what's the modern phrase? Thirsty. Everyone's a bit more thirsty here than anywhere else because of my presence." She tossed her hair, and looked proud. "Anyway, as promised, back to normal. So, you all need to leave. Without the potion, I can feel this one shutting down already," she nodded at Dean with pain in her eyes. Cas could feel Dean's shaking frame against him, and pulled away, trying to look Dean in the eyes.

"Alright, lets go," Sam said to the room. Charlie and Gilda were holding hands and murmuring to each other the whole time they walked through the halls.

Sam looked worried, though. Cas felt a bit unsure himself. Dean looked more in shock than anything else. As they walked through the halls and into the lobby, his emerald eyes were wide and blank.

When they walked into the cold parking lot, Cas tried to link arms with Dean, but Dean just pulled away. That hurt. Cas felt a pang when Dean jumped away from his touch, the way he had often done before the potion. He hadn't always, but there had been times. The two of them had discussed personal space at some length. Still, Dean didn't always follow the rules he explained to Cas. Dean would say not to stand too close, and later, Dean would put his arm around Cas. Maybe that was something that wouldn't change. Perhaps sometimes Dean would still want personal space. That made sense. Still, something about Dean didn't seem right. Shouldn't he be happy now that this was over?

Sam climbed into the driver's seat, and Dean hurried to jump into the passenger's seat. Cas felt disappointment wash over him, and realized that he had been hoping to sit next to Dean. The Impala only had so many seats though, and Dean normally sat in the front. Cas squeezed into the back beside Charlie, who was busy stroking Gilda's face and whispering sweet things into the fairy's ear. Sam hit the gas, and they took off onto the main road. Cas thought that it was unusually quiet, and realized after a few moments that it was because he was used to Dean singing along to some classic rock song and pounding his fists against the dashboard.

"Dean, are you alright?" Sam asked.

"Sure Sammy, why wouldn't I be?" Dean said.

"What's wrong?" Sam sounded concerned. Cas didn't fully understand sarcasm, but he understood Dean and he too was worried. Dean did not sound alright at all. So either he had been being sarcastic, or he had been lying.

"I don't know, it couldn't have anything to do with the fact that I've been crazy thanks to being under a love potion for the past couple of weeks," Dean snapped.

"Dean, I didn't mean to-" Cas began. He was interrupted before he could finish, but of course, he had no idea what he could really say anyway. That he hadn't meant to put Dean under a love potion? That it hadn't been his fault? He hadn't meant for any of this to happen, not really, but it wasn't like Dean would believe that.

"You didn't mean to put something witchy in my drink, Cas, really?" Dean snapped, turning around and meeting Castiel's eyes for the first time sense the love potion had been lifted. "Was that an accident, then?" Dean's voice broke. Cas felt horrible. How could he explain to Dean that he really hadn't meant any harm or that he had thought nothing would happen? "You didn't mean to slip something from some random creep in my beer when I wasn't looking? I'm your best friend, Cas. I mean I trusted you. I should be able to trust my best friend to not slip anything in my fucking drink. You do realize that that's basically considered rape, right? When you slip something in someone's drink that puts that person in a position where you have the power and they don't, and they end up having sex with you when they normally wouldn't. So much for being a friggin angel, right? Don't sit there and pretend you're all innocent either, Jesus man, the things I did," Dean shook his head. Dean turned back around, facing forward in his seat. "Just get the hell out of my car." There was a pause; as Cas sat there, frozen, completely unsure what to do, then Dean said the worst thing Cas could ever imagine Dean saying. "I never want to see you again."

"Dean," Cas said, pleading. There was no answer. "Sam?" Surely Sam would at least have something to say. He had seemed so supportive back at the hotel.

"You heard him," Sam said without emotion, without turning his head, or even looking at Cas through the mirror.

This couldn't be happening. He had been so afraid that it would, but Dean's speech in the hotel room had given him hope. It was stupid. Dean was right after all. What Cas had done was wrong, and he knew it. Cas looked at Charlie and Gilda, who were watching in silence. They turned away, both refusing to really look at him. Cas closed his eyes, and with a flutter of his wings, he was in a Biggersons diner, hundreds of miles from his friends.


	19. The Truth About Love

**Chapter 19**

**The Truth About Love **

**(Charlie's Perspective)**

The deafening silence in the Impala was worse than if everyone had been screaming. They had been cruising along the highway in no real direction for about twenty minutes. No one would say it, but they were all waiting for Dean. Charlie leaned against Gilda's shoulder, starting directly ahead in silence. Gilda stroked her face with long slender fingers that were as soft as flower petals. She couldn't believe the way Dean had reacted. Well, that wasn't true. It was Dean. She could totally believe the way he had reacted. It just sort of broke her heart, which really sucked, because she was pretty damn happy for herself at the moment. She was in the arms of an actual fairy. The beautiful damsel she had rescued had come back to her.

"So Gilda, I notice you didn't even ask Freya about sending you back home?" Sam asked, echoing Charlie's own thoughts. She knew that some people would be pissed at the moose of a man for butting in, but she was just glad. It was something she had been dreading bringing up.

"No, I did not." Gilda's voice was barely audible even though the Impala was absolutely silent. Charlie sat up and turned to look at Gilda, who cast her eyes down so that she was peering at Charlie through her dark lashes. Charlie touched Gilda's chin, turning her head up so that the two were looking at one another.

"Why not?" Charlie whispered. For a moment, she almost forgot that Sam and Dean were in the front seat. She felt as if she and Gilda were the only two in the whole universe.

"I want to stay here, Charlie, with you," Gilda said. "If you'll have me." That last part was too much. Charlie pressed her lips against Gilda's, wrapping her arms around her slender frame. Charlie pressed herself as close as she could in the backseat of the car with both of them buckled in. She let her tongue glide along the top of Gilda's mouth. As their bodies pressed together Gilda made a soft sound of pleasure. Sam coughed loudly from the driver's seat.

"Of course I'll have you. I'll never let you go," Charlie breathed as she forced herself to pull back. They exchanged a look that made it clear that they would be finishing this later. "As long as you don't imply that my friends might be evil anymore. You saw how much that hurt Cas back there. His intentions were never to hurt anyone." She was talking to Gilda, remembering the doubt that Gilda had felt towards the angel at first. Her words were undoubtedly loud enough for everyone in the car to hear though.

"That's the problem with Cas," Dean said, speaking up for the first time. "He always has good intentions. The results aren't always good."

Charlie couldn't even argue with that one. It was the truth. She had read the stupid Carver Edlund books, and tried to justify every mistake that Sam and Dean made because they were her friends. She had tried to justify every mistake that Cas made because she knew how Dean felt about him, it was obvious, and because she knew that his intentions really were good.

"If that is truly the problem with him, I should say you've found the best person for you to be in love with," Gilda said, speaking up.

"What?" Dean snapped, turning in his seat a bit to look back at Gilda.

"At first when Charlie told me the situation, I believed that there was no way that the angel's intentions were pure. I was wrong, and I see that now. He loves you, that much is obvious."

"If he loved me…" Dean trailed off. He was still turned in his seat, and Charlie saw the distant look in his emerald eyes that she had become all too familiar with. It was the look he had when he was fighting with Sam and he hadn't seen him in awhile, or when he had been praying to Castiel and the angel had not responded. She wished they weren't in a moving vehicle so she could stand up and hug him. "If he loved me he wouldn't have taken away my free will, manipulated me, and forced me to be with him," Dean said. "That's not love. That's force, and a betrayal of trust."

"Dean he didn't ever mean to take away your free will. Freya has some powers of manipulation herself. She convinced him that it was some sort of silly human aphrodisiac and that it wouldn't do much other than get things started. You said yourself back at the hotel that you wouldn't have ever made a move."

"You can't quote what I said then, I was under a spell!" Dean said indignantly. "I would have never made a move because I-" he stopped himself, searching for words.

"You were going to say you don't have feelings for him, weren't you?" Sam asked.

"Shut up Sammy!" Dean said. Charlie was relieved to hear the familiar, endearing nickname Dean used for his little brother. It was a sign that maybe he was calming down a bit.

"You can't say that you don't love him, Dean, because you do. Now that you've admitted it, even if it was under a spell, you can't take it back. Besides, did you not hear the whole speech Freya gave?"

"Anyway, its not like this is news to us Dean," Charlie said. "Honestly, did you think we didn't all know that something beyond friendship was going on?"

"Maybe you're right," Dean admitted. "He still betrayed me though."

"So?" Charlie asked.

"So?" Dean repeated indignantly. "What the hell Charlie?"

"Do you think love is easy?" she asked. "Do you think that everything is all perfect and you have to agree with everything, and everyone is always honest? Come on Dean, I know you, and I know that isn't what you believe. Cas screwed up, and he screwed up bad. So work it out. Figure it out, because it's worth it." Gilda squeezed her hand, and they shared a secret glance.

"You sound like some girl in a chick flick, Charlie," Dean grumbled.

"No, I sound like the opposite of that, actually," Charlie said. "Except maybe the fact that I'm encouraging you to not suppress your feelings. Seriously Dean, that's what started all of this in the first place."

"Don't you dare blame me for what Freya-" Dean started to protest, but Charlie interrupted.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not blaming you for what Freya did," she said. "I'm blaming you for what you did. You hid your feelings to the point that you would never admit them without extreme circumstances, like, oh I don't know, a freaking love potion. Then you got this perfect romance, where you agreed on everything, and everything was always perfect. Well, that's not the way things work, Dean. Of course, when things go back to normal, and you realize he's not an-" she stopped herself. "I guess I can't say he's not an angel, because that phrase really does not work here, but you get the gist. He's not perfect, so you decide to shut him out, the one chance you have at having someone who can be a hero for you, and look out for you, and be there for you the way you always are for everyone else."

There was a long pause. Dean had turned back to the front, and was staring ahead. Charlie sort of wished he would put in one of his loud nineties rock cassettes not because she really liked his taste in music-she was more of a Katrina and the Waves kind of girl herself-but because she needed something to drown out this deafening silence.

"Charlie is right, Dean," Sam said. "You've always been there for me, and for everyone. You always try to save everyone, and Cas came around and saved you. You deserve that. Everyone deserves someone like that, someone who looks out for them and can be there for them. You and I have always watched out for each other, but really Dean, ever since we were kids, you've had that one job. Look after Sammy. Well, don't you think you deserve someone to look after you?"

"I'm not a child, Sammy, Jesus," Dean muttered.

"I'm not saying that," Sam said. "I'm not a child either, but you've saved me so many times, and I've saved you too, and we're there for each other. Things have changed sure, but I know that you'll always look out for me, and I'm glad. That doesn't make me childish, or weak, or anything, Dean. It makes me human."

"Well, it's not like there's much I can do now," Dean said. "I've basically cut him out for good." Charlie tried to hide the beam she felt creeping onto her face. She was so winning this one. She could see the desperate desire to pray to his baby in a trench coat behind Dean's determined lack of display of emotions.

"No way," Charlie said. "I've read the books, Dean-O, Cas will come metaphorically running into your arms the moment even the idea of praying to him crosses your mind."

"The guy doesn't live in my ass," Dean mumbled.

"He has for the past what's it been? A week?" Charlie couldn't resist saying. Dean shot her a glare, but she could have sworn there was just a hint of amusement hidden in his murderous face. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but after a moment, his face faded into what seemed to be hopelessness.

"I don't know," Dean sighed. "Maybe I'm the problem. Maybe Cas deserves better." Charlie reached around the back of the seat and smacked Dean on the side of the head before leaning back and looking up at him challengingly as he turned around to shoot her a glare. "What the hell Charlie?" he asked.

"Don't even go there," Charlie said. "I don't even want to start to hear you put yourself down."

"You're the one who said I should share my feelings," he grumbled. Charlie's certainty that she had won was strengthening. She could see Dean's resolve crumbling.

"Only when they involve the love of a certain dreamy angel who happened to rescue you from hell, and then fall from grace and rebel against heaven for you."

"Way to rub everything he's done for me in my face," Dean sighed. "What have I done? Gone off on him? Told him I never wanted to see him again? He probably never wants to speak to me again."

"I have a feeling he'll be rubbing something in your face if not the things he's done for you, and doing more than speaking to you by the end of the night," Charlie couldn't help but grin at this point. Now it was Dean's turn to reach past the seat and swat her in the side of the head.

"God Charlie, for a lesbian, you sure have a dirty mind," Dean grumbled.

"Don't worry, the dirty part of my mind is active right now, but definitely not because of you. Its just rubbing off on everything I say." She couldn't help but add in that last part, the opportunity for an innuendo was too perfect. Gilda let out a laugh like the tinkling of bells, and Charlie smirked. So her damsel in distress had a sense of humor as well as being drop dead gorgeous, incredibly intelligent, exciting, and a literal fairy? The process of learning more about Gilda was going to be so much fun.

Charlie started to giggle too, and she heard Sam chuckle from the driver's seat. Dean was still looking forlorn, but she just kept wagging her eyebrows at him, and after a moment he couldn't seem to stop himself, and joined in. The four of them were all giggling like immature middle school kids for the next few minutes. When their laughter faded, Dean took a deep breath.

"Okay," he said. "You guys are right. I'm going to call Cas. As soon as we find a hotel for the night, I'm going to pray to him, and well, pray he shows up. Its all I can do." He sounded worried. Charlie placed a hand on his shoulder for a moment.

"He'll show up, Dean. He always comes when you call. With the way things are going, I think that's going to start happening in more ways than one pretty soon."

"Wait you mean like c-" Dean stopped himself, and shook his head. He couldn't seem to resist smirking a little. "Damn it Charlie, we were having a moment."

"Hey, you're the one who said you didn't like chick flick moments," Charlie reminded him. Dean seemed to be deep in thought, and his reply was kind of not what Charlie was expecting, but it still made sense, she supposed.

"I'm starting to mind them less."

**Author's Note: **_Oh my Chuck I am so so so sorry to all of my followers. I know, it took for freaking EVER to upload this. I've been super busy and I've honestly been too out of it to write properly- I'm still pretty apprehensive about how this chapter turned out. I graduated from High school, though! Anyway, I hope that this chapter was alright. Don't forget to let me know what you thought. Oh by the way, if anyone wants to follow me on Tumblr, I've changed my URL. Its now _**princess-of-the-ships.**_ I sometimes post one-shots and metas on there if anyone is interested. As always, shout out to my awesome beta reader and friend _**oneofthepoisoned **_for helping make sure that this story happened. You are all awesome, and again, I am so sorry it took so long. _


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